Indefinite with Respect to Power

The close connection between mathematics and power is expressed in many ways. One way is the formation of the digital panopticon that is making use of big data. We are all potentially open to being observed as the data about our behaviour is collected, stored, and made available for analysis. Big-data analysis demands new mathematical and statistical techniques; it is of huge interest to financial markets, for social control, and for the military. Economic decision-making is an expression of the mathematics-power amalgamation. Algorithmic procedures can ascribe a credit score to a person, and based on this score a bank can judge whether the customer should be offered a loan or not. The FICO system was an original way to do so, but recently e-score systems have been created that make use of big data. Social power concerns the governing of and conditions for democratic life. The crucial question is whether further mathematisation of society tends to support or obstruct democratic life. Mathematics contributes to research on enhancement of military efficiency, and much of this research is directly financed by the military.