This was funny! I recognize these conflicting views. The first is the view that math is a fundamental force governing nature. The second is that math is simply a way to describe the forces of nature. I tend to agree with the second view and are often dragged into arguments which has the roots in this difference of viewpoints.

I'm not sure if either of your arguments applies in this case; the argument I was trying to make is that the colloquial usage of the word "space" predates the mathematical usage, so claiming that the word "space" in a colloquial context comes from the mathematical context is inaccurate. (This is a purely historical argument and not one of philosophy.)