Quote Originally Posted by MadMojoMonkey View Post
Nobody mentioned good or bad, outside the context of 'good at math', or 'good step in solving a problem', aside from you, sur. Also, I had to google the difference between inherent and intrinsic, and it's a fine line. Anyway, I already defined what I meant in the 3rd paragraph of #179.

It was my own fault for waxing poetic on the subject of the beauty of math. We can certainly agree that the question, "What is beauty?" is not a scientific question, and certainly not suitable for a physics thread.

Thank you for the positive thoughts. I really could go on for hours.
I'm content to end the derail, but just a couple of clarifying points:

1) I never meant "good at math" or any of that either. Sorry for whatever I might have said that caused the confusion (I just edited my post for language because Christ it was messy).

2) I Googled "difference between inherent and intrinsic" just to see what you were getting, and good God everything is so WTF terrible, except for the Wikipedia hit on Intrinsic Value (Ethics). I guess the takeaway is that in most everyday exchanges of language or in an English class, they're basically the same thing and if we have to distinguish between the two then we'll just throw out random bullshit theories. But as far as a philosophical discussion on ethics or aesthetics, they're closer to opposites because one refers to instrumental value (something that's only good in so far as it lends to something else that is good) and the other to intrinsic value (something is an end in itself).

3) I wasn't nitpicking you so much because your use of the word inherent seems perfectly fine. In fact that 3rd paragraph you point out is like the perfect distinction between inherent and intrinsic aesthetic value (ie: beauty for the purposes of this convo). It has qualities that are inextricable from its essence (it's there for everyone to see and experience in the same way), but the value is not intrinsic (ie: "appreciation of beauty is an emotional response, and that what is beautiful to one person may not be beautiful to another").

Anyway, sorry I engaged with that more than I meant to in a clarifying points post, but oh well, I'll shut up now.