Why do we use numbers so much? Is it something about the world? Or is it more something about us? We discussed above the example of fundamental physics. And we argued that even though at the most fundamental level numbers really aren’t involved, our sampling of what happens in the universe leads us to a description that does involve numbers. And in this case, the origin of the way we sample the universe has deep roots in the nature of our consciousness, and our fundamental way of experiencing the universe, with our particular sensory apparatus, place in the universe, etc. As long as we preserve core aspects of our experience as what we consider conscious observers some version of numbers will in the end be inevitable for us. We can aspire to generalize from numbers, and, for example, sample other representations of computational reducibility. But for now, numbers seem to be inextricably connected to core aspects of our existence.

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