Consider that the very concept of numbers needed to be discovered before economic transactions could take place. (Early people only recognized one, or many for numbers in their language) Consider how important decimals are, for important activities as determining interest. There are many uses of numbers in economic activity (prices, interest, production, etc.) that without which, economies could not be developed. Many take these for granted. Is there any Austrian writing on the subject, or is it of trivial importance?
I don’t really understand the question. Yes, without some system of measurement modern civilization probably would not have developed (at least not in its current form).
According to Hoppe, praxeology explains why mathematics is relevant to the real world through the action of counting.
Might want to look into that.
I am unaware of any sort of Austrian writing on this subject. However, I do not regard the development of math to be anything other than the standard technological advance. The merchant that can count and do basic math has a competitive advantage over those who don’t. Others catch on, and the standard of living is advanced over time. Math is a particularly important invention, being necessary for the development of a variety of fields, but it is ultimately just another tool for humanity.
There is a parallel between how Austrian economists and mathematicians develop their fields. Both view their subjects without empiricism. For the mathematician, the definition of a right triangle will eventually lead to the derivation of the Pythagorean Theorem. The later invention of calculus then logically allows us to calculate the areas, volumes, surface areas, etc. of a wide variety of shapes. And this was all accomplished without going around and empirically testing things.