Metaphysics is a core concept of philosophy which seeks to explain the nature of reality. How do we reconcile the duality of our perception of the material and the immaterial— the mysterious relationship between the mind and body? Metaphysical arguments also tend toward cosmological arguments about the origins of existence.
Max shares with us an interesting philosophy about the nature of existence and it’s worth repeating:
“1. Mathematics is the language of nature. 2. Everything around us can be represented and understood through numbers. 3. If you graph these numbers, patterns emerge. Therefore: There are patterns everywhere in nature.” Max’s hypothesis of a world without chaos and his engaging experimentation to prove this theory is intriguing, but even more so is the fact that despite his remarkable intellect he cannot escape the reality that chaos is the force that is really in control. Just as Max is beginning to “see the light,” something random interrupts him (an ant colony damaging his equipment, an inexplicable computer crash, a… noisy neighbor).
Max’s headaches and the ghastly vein popping out of his head also add another way to approach the representation of metaphysics in Pi. For both Max and Sol there always exists a physical threat to obtaining the universal pattern of nature, as though our bodies are not apt to understand it all. Max finds it difficult to envision a life without the glorious search for omnipotence, but Sol offers anecdotes aimed to remind him of the importance of enjoying life and appreciating the beauty of not knowing.
