Is Math Discovered or Invented?
Four absurd answers to whether math is discovered or invented: Easter eggs left by fauns, forgery vs. plagiarism, excretion, and a birds-and-bees deflection.
Content note: Mild gross-out (panel 3).
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Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2025-07-14-is-math-discovered-or-invented/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
[1] "Math is invented by fauns, nymphs, and other minor deities. They leave it lying around, partially hidden, for humans to 'discover,' in the same way that one might leave Easter eggs in the yard for a small and gullible child."
[2] "Both. Pure math is invented nonsense, passed off as if it were authored by nature. Thus, it is best described as a forgery or a fabrication. Meanwhile, applied math is the human attempt to take credit for discovering nature's work. Thus, it is best described as plagiarism or intellectual theft." [Books: "PURE MATH: a work of fiction → discovery!!" / "APPLIED MATH by nature → me and my good brain"]
[3] "Neither. It is excreted, and later congeals." [someone steps in a green puddle of the quadratic formula: "yech…"]
[4] "It's kind of like asking if babies are discovered or invented. If that's how you're phrasing the question, then you're pretty clearly not ready for the answer."