Is mathematics about numbers?

Is the law about money?

I think the two situations are much the same.  In principle, mathematics is concerned with all kinds of logical relationships, not just numerical ones.*  Yet many of the most powerful things we do with logic involve numbers, and mathematicians are the experts in their use.

As for the law, in principle, it is concerned with all kinds of human relationships, not just financial ones.  Yet so much of human relationships is regulated by money that inevitably lawyers have a special interest in this area.

*The Independent reassures Sudoku players: “There’s no maths involved.  You solve
  the puzzle with reasoning and logic.”

[30 December 2013]