--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The propositions of mathematics have…" description: "\"The propositions of mathematics have, therefore, the same unquestionable certainty which is typical of such propositions as \"All bachelors are unmarrie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/carl-gustav-hempel-59780_bachelors_the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-the_785200.jpg" --- # The propositions of mathematics have, therefore, the same… ![“The propositions of mathematics have, therefore, the same unquestionable certainty which is typical of such propositions as "All bachelors are unmarried," but they also share the complete lack of empirical content which is associated with that certainty: The propositions of mathematics are devoid…” quote by Carl Gustav Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/carl-gustav-hempel-59780_bachelors_the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-the_785200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/carl-gustav-hempel-59780_bachelors_the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-the_785200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/carl-gustav-hempel-59780_bachelors_the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-the_785200.jpg) > “The propositions of mathematics have, therefore, the same unquestionable certainty which is typical of such propositions as "All bachelors are unmarried," but they also share the complete lack of empirical content which is associated with that certainty: The propositions of mathematics are devoid of all factual content; they convey no information whatever on any empirical subject matter.” [Carl Gustav Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-hempel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mathematical statements are certain like logical truths but lack empirical content, meaning they convey no factual information about the world. **In simple terms:** Math is certain but not about real‑world facts. Key Takeaway Distinguish logical certainty from empirical relevance. Themes certainty logic empiricism mathematics Mood critical inquisitive Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - theoretical research - educational curricula - scientific modeling Key Concepts philosophy of science semantic content ontology Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect the role of math in science? - Can mathematical certainty be useful without empirical content? A Different Perspective May limit practical application of math in empirical sciences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bachelors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bachelors/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Certainty Propositions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty-propositions-6041671/) [Factual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factual/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Mathematical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematical/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Mathematics Devoid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics-devoid-919763/) [Mathematics Unquestionable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics-unquestionable-6041669/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Propositions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propositions/) [Propositions Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propositions-mathematics-919765/) [Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share/) [Statistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistics/) [Subject matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subject-matter/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Typical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typical/) [Typical Propositions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typical-propositions-6041670/) [Unmarried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unmarried/) ## Related quotes > [The propositions of mathematics are devoid of all factual content; they convey no information whatever on any empirical subject matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/the-propositions-of-mathematics-are-devoid-of-all-factual-content/) [Carl Gustav Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-hempel/) > [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/) [John Whiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whiting/) > [In the early days of the New England colonies, no more embarrassing or hampering condition, no greater temporal ill, could befall any adult Puritan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/in-the-early-days-of-the-new-england-colonies-no-more-embarrassing-or/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [It is a woman's business to get married as soon as possible, and a man's to keep unmarried as long as he can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/it-is-a-woman-s-business-to-get-married-as-soon-as-possible-and-a-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Motherhood is so honorable a thing that nothing - no convention - can possibly make it dishonorable; and from the standpoint of the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lindsey/motherhood-is-so-honorable-a-thing-that-nothing-no-convention-can/) [Ben Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lindsey/) > [I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren't prepared to occupy a position. I've seen such pitiful cases in the South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-know-so-well-what-becomes-of-unmarried-women-who-aren-t-prepared-to/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [This archaic idea - that a woman who is unmarried and childless at 30 is somehow unnatural - will probably always exist, and, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/this-archaic-idea-that-a-woman-who-is-unmarried-and-childless-at-30/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [The world is filled with unmarried marriage counselors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/the-world-is-filled-with-unmarried-marriage-counselors/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels. My sister became unmarried and pregnant during high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/when-i-was-growing-up-i-always-read-horror-books-while-my-sister-read/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [My mind is pretty made up that life for Cathy Freeman will be as an unmarried woman from now on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/my-mind-is-pretty-made-up-that-life-for-cathy-freeman-will-be-as-an/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [If you're an average married couple, you're going to lie to your spouse in one out of every 10 interactions. Now, you may think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/if-you-re-an-average-married-couple-you-re-going-to-lie-to-your/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [“To them an unmarried woman is an irresponsible one, a failure, a whore, a sex worker most especially when she is not a nun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-david/to-them-an-unmarried-woman-is-an-irresponsible-one-a-failure-a-whore/) [S. A. David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-david/) > [I do not think that marriage is one of my talents. I've been much happier unmarried than married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-that-marriage-is-one-of-my-talents-i-ve-been-much/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [It's like the riddle of the Sphinx... why are there so many great unmarried women, and no great unmarried men?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/it-s-like-the-riddle-of-the-sphinx-why-are-there-so-many-great/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [Loneliness has little to do with what we do or where we do it, whether we're married or unmarried, optimists or pessimists, heterosexual or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/loneliness-has-little-to-do-with-what-we-do-or-where-we-do-it-whether/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) ## More by Carl Gustav Hempel > [The propositions of mathematics are devoid of all factual content; they convey no information whatever on any empirical subject matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/the-propositions-of-mathematics-are-devoid-of-all-factual-content/) [Carl Gustav Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-hempel/) > [A geometrical theory in physical interpretation can never be validated with mathematical certainty ... ; like any other theory of empirical science, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/a-geometrical-theory-in-physical-interpretation-can-never-be/) [Carl Gustav Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-hempel/) > [The most distinctive characteristic which differentiates mathematics from the various branches of empirical science, and which accounts for its fame as the queen of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/the-most-distinctive-characteristic-which-differentiates-mathematics/) [Carl Gustav Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-hempel/) > [...to characterize the import of pure geometry, we might use the standard form of a movie-disclaimer: No portrayal of the characteristics of geometrical figures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/to-characterize-the-import-of-pure-geometry-we-might-use-the-standard/) [Carl Gustav Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-hempel/) [Explore all 5 Carl Gustav Hempel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-hempel/) ## More Bachelors quotes > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [A married man is a man with a past, while a bachelor is a man with a future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-married-man-is-a-man-with-a-past-while-a-bachelor-is-a-man-with-a/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Though bachelors be the strongest stakes, married men are the best binders, in the hedge of the commonwealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/though-bachelors-be-the-strongest-stakes-married-men-are-the-best/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [It is impossible to believe that the same God who permitted His own son to die a bachelor regards celibacy as an actual sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/it-is-impossible-to-believe-that-the-same-god-who-permitted-his-own/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Give women the vote, and in five years there will be a crushing tax on bachelors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/give-women-the-vote-and-in-five-years-there-will-be-a-crushing-tax-on/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The Shades never recorded anything, Little Daddy and the Bachelors recorded a couple of records, ya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/the-shades-never-recorded-anything-little-daddy-and-the-bachelors/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [“They say bachelors have all the fun. Not so. You just get old and full of sand, nasty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/they-say-bachelors-have-all-the-fun-not-so-you-just-get-old-and-full/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Russia's Vladimir Putin appeared in public for the first time after a mysterious 10-day absence. Putin said it took him that long to recover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/russia-s-vladimir-putin-appeared-in-public-for-the-first-time-after-a/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [I love to think of the whole universe together as one eternal fact. I love to think that everything is alive; that crystallization is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-love-to-think-of-the-whole-universe-together-as-one-eternal-fact-i/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [There’s a lot I don’t tell my father when he calls asking after Amy. He wouldn’t understand that she has no interest in getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/there-s-a-lot-i-don-t-tell-my-father-when-he-calls-asking-after-amy/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Obviously there was no point in being a bachelor if his houseman was going to filch his booze. If he was going to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/obviously-there-was-no-point-in-being-a-bachelor-if-his-houseman-was/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [Rich bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/rich-bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I had an opportunity to move to L.A. back in 1999 and start up a horse racing network of all things. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-harrison/i-had-an-opportunity-to-move-to-l-a-back-in-1999-and-start-up-a-horse/) [Chris Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-harrison/) [Browse all 208 Bachelors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bachelors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The propositions of mathematics have, therefore, the same unquestionable certainty which is typical of such propositions as \"All bachelors are unmarried,\" but they also share the complete lack of empirical content which is associated with that certainty: The propositions of mathematics are devoid of all factual content; they convey no information whatever on any empirical subject matter.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Gustav Hempel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-therefore-the-same/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bachelors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-therefore-the-same/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/carl-gustav-hempel-59780_bachelors_the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-the_785200.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/carl-gustav-hempel-59780_bachelors_the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-the_785200.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/carl-gustav-hempel-59780_bachelors_the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-the_785200.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The propositions of mathematics have, therefore, the same unquestionable certainty which is typical of such…” — Carl Gustav Hempel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Carl Gustav Hempel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-hempel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The propositions of mathematics have, therefore,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-therefore-the-same/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-hempel/the-propositions-of-mathematics-have-therefore-the-same/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```