If we consider the evolution of ideas regarding chance since Antiquity (Aristotle, Cicero), the appearance of the calculations during the 17th century (Pascal, Fermat), to the theory of hedging on financial markets, we see: a) an extraordinary development of mathematics to manipulate randomness b) the increasing use in this language in economics in the 20th century c) a gradual eviction in the backyard of all that concerns the interpretation of phenomena. The shift to a collective work involving interpretation is an urgent need in the contemporary controversies: financial crises, long-term, biodiversity, but it faces a passive resistance due to the comfort of the agreement on mathematics. The question on which we focus here is on what philosophical bases and under what circumstances can there be excessive mathematization of the world? This question is asked repeatedly about the economy. To elucidate this difficult problem we address it in a broader scope than just the economy, for knowledge in general. We discuss when and how to diagnose excessive mathematization and what it means. This leads us to ask: why normal science and revolutions in jolts? Why orthodox economics and crises?
