Mathematics and Metaphilosophy

Mathematics and Metaphilosophy PDF Author: Justin Clarke-Doane
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1009002295
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 105

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Book Description
This Element discusses the problem of mathematical knowledge, and its broader philosophical ramifications. It argues that the challenge to explain the (defeasible) justification of our mathematical beliefs ('the justificatory challenge'), arises insofar as disagreement over axioms bottoms out in disagreement over intuitions. And it argues that the challenge to explain their reliability ('the reliability challenge'), arises to the extent that we could have easily had different beliefs. The Element shows that mathematical facts are not, in general, empirically accessible, contra Quine, and that they cannot be dispensed with, contra Field. However, it argues that they might be so plentiful that our knowledge of them is unmysterious. The Element concludes with a complementary 'pluralism' about modality, logic and normative theory, highlighting its surprising implications. Metaphysically, pluralism engenders a kind of perspectivalism and indeterminacy. Methodologically, it vindicates Carnap's pragmatism, transposed to the key of realism.

Mathematics and Metaphilosophy

Mathematics and Metaphilosophy PDF Author: Justin Clarke-Doane
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1009002295
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 105

Get Book Here

Book Description
This Element discusses the problem of mathematical knowledge, and its broader philosophical ramifications. It argues that the challenge to explain the (defeasible) justification of our mathematical beliefs ('the justificatory challenge'), arises insofar as disagreement over axioms bottoms out in disagreement over intuitions. And it argues that the challenge to explain their reliability ('the reliability challenge'), arises to the extent that we could have easily had different beliefs. The Element shows that mathematical facts are not, in general, empirically accessible, contra Quine, and that they cannot be dispensed with, contra Field. However, it argues that they might be so plentiful that our knowledge of them is unmysterious. The Element concludes with a complementary 'pluralism' about modality, logic and normative theory, highlighting its surprising implications. Metaphysically, pluralism engenders a kind of perspectivalism and indeterminacy. Methodologically, it vindicates Carnap's pragmatism, transposed to the key of realism.

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mathematics

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mathematics PDF Author: Mark Colyvan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521826020
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
A fascinating journey through intriguing mathematical and philosophical territory - a lively introduction to this contemporary topic.

Lectures on the Philosophy of Mathematics

Lectures on the Philosophy of Mathematics PDF Author: Joel David Hamkins
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262542234
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
An introduction to the philosophy of mathematics grounded in mathematics and motivated by mathematical inquiry and practice. In this book, Joel David Hamkins offers an introduction to the philosophy of mathematics that is grounded in mathematics and motivated by mathematical inquiry and practice. He treats philosophical issues as they arise organically in mathematics, discussing such topics as platonism, realism, logicism, structuralism, formalism, infinity, and intuitionism in mathematical contexts. He organizes the book by mathematical themes--numbers, rigor, geometry, proof, computability, incompleteness, and set theory--that give rise again and again to philosophical considerations.

Philosophy of Mathematics

Philosophy of Mathematics PDF Author: James Robert Brown
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134806442
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 181

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Book Description
Philosophy of Mathematics is an excellent introductory text. This student friendly book discusses the great philosophers and the importance of mathematics to their thought. It includes the following topics: * the mathematical image * platonism * picture-proofs * applied mathematics * Hilbert and Godel * knots and nations * definitions * picture-proofs and Wittgenstein * computation, proof and conjecture. The book is ideal for courses on philosophy of mathematics and logic.

Morality and Mathematics

Morality and Mathematics PDF Author: Justin Clarke-Doane
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192556800
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
To what extent are the subjects of our thoughts and talk real? This is the question of realism. In this book, Justin Clarke-Doane explores arguments for and against moral realism and mathematical realism, how they interact, and what they can tell us about areas of philosophical interest more generally. He argues that, contrary to widespread belief, our mathematical beliefs have no better claim to being self-evident or provable than our moral beliefs. Nor do our mathematical beliefs have better claim to being empirically justified than our moral beliefs. It is also incorrect that reflection on the genealogy of our moral beliefs establishes a lack of parity between the cases. In general, if one is a moral antirealist on the basis of epistemological considerations, then one ought to be a mathematical antirealist as well. And, yet, Clarke-Doane shows that moral realism and mathematical realism do not stand or fall together — and for a surprising reason. Moral questions, insofar as they are practical, are objective in a sense that mathematical questions are not, and the sense in which they are objective can only be explained by assuming practical anti-realism. One upshot of the discussion is that the concepts of realism and objectivity, which are widely identified, are actually in tension. Another is that the objective questions in the neighborhood of factual areas like logic, modality, grounding, and nature are practical questions too. Practical philosophy should, therefore, take center stage.

Philosophy of Mathematics

Philosophy of Mathematics PDF Author: Paul Benacerraf
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521296489
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 604

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Book Description
Seminal articles in the philosophy of mathematics by Russell, Quine, Gödel and other major thinkers.

Why Is There Philosophy of Mathematics At All?

Why Is There Philosophy of Mathematics At All? PDF Author: Ian Hacking
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107729823
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
This truly philosophical book takes us back to fundamentals - the sheer experience of proof, and the enigmatic relation of mathematics to nature. It asks unexpected questions, such as 'what makes mathematics mathematics?', 'where did proof come from and how did it evolve?', and 'how did the distinction between pure and applied mathematics come into being?' In a wide-ranging discussion that is both immersed in the past and unusually attuned to the competing philosophical ideas of contemporary mathematicians, it shows that proof and other forms of mathematical exploration continue to be living, evolving practices - responsive to new technologies, yet embedded in permanent (and astonishing) facts about human beings. It distinguishes several distinct types of application of mathematics, and shows how each leads to a different philosophical conundrum. Here is a remarkable body of new philosophical thinking about proofs, applications, and other mathematical activities.

Philosophy of Mathematics

Philosophy of Mathematics PDF Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080930581
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 735

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Book Description
One of the most striking features of mathematics is the fact that we are much more certain about the mathematical knowledge we have than about what mathematical knowledge is knowledge of. Are numbers, sets, functions and groups physical entities of some kind? Are they objectively existing objects in some non-physical, mathematical realm? Are they ideas that are present only in the mind? Or do mathematical truths not involve referents of any kind? It is these kinds of questions that have encouraged philosophers and mathematicians alike to focus their attention on issues in the philosophy of mathematics. Over the centuries a number of reasonably well-defined positions about the nature of mathematics have been developed and it is these positions (both historical and current) that are surveyed in the current volume. Traditional theories (Platonism, Aristotelianism, Kantianism), as well as dominant modern theories (logicism, formalism, constructivism, fictionalism, etc.), are all analyzed and evaluated. Leading-edge research in related fields (set theory, computability theory, probability theory, paraconsistency) is also discussed. The result is a handbook that not only provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments but that also serves as an indispensable resource for anyone wanting to learn about current developments in the philosophy of mathematics. -Comprehensive coverage of all main theories in the philosophy of mathematics-Clearly written expositions of fundamental ideas and concepts-Definitive discussions by leading researchers in the field-Summaries of leading-edge research in related fields (set theory, computability theory, probability theory, paraconsistency) are also included

Thinking about Mathematics

Thinking about Mathematics PDF Author: Stewart Shapiro
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0192893068
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
Thinking about Mathematics covers the range of philosophical issues and positions concerning mathematics. The text describes the questions about mathematics that motivated philosophers throughout history and covers historical figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. It also presents the major positions and arguments concerning mathematics throughout the twentieth century, bringing the reader up to the present positions and battle lines.

Problems in the Philosophy of Mathematics

Problems in the Philosophy of Mathematics PDF Author: Imre Lakatos
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0444534113
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description