Philosophy, Rules and the Collision Problem

Extract

Captain Wylie begins his paper by evoking a philosophic vision: a planet full of colliding ships, all staffed by mathematicians. He concludes by rejecting, on behalf of mariners, the help of the mathematicians. The maritime record also evokes a vision: the colliding ships are somewhat fewer, but the main difference is that every one is staffed by persons other than mathematicians. The latter vision rather implies a need for help from somewhere.