Indefinability

Indefinability
Author: Zhozefina Leonidovna Pasternak
Publisher: Museum Tusculanum Press
Total Pages: 162
Release: 1999
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9788772895314

Pasternak (1900-94), sister to the famous Russian writer Boris, discusses various issues within philosophy that are not usually tackled by professional philosophers. They include categories, the wavicle, a seemingly absurd though perhaps really well-founded statement, and neuro-psychological considerations. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

New Directions in the Philosophy of Mathematics

New Directions in the Philosophy of Mathematics
Author: Thomas Tymoczko
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 458
Release: 1998-02
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9780691034980

The traditional debate among philosophers of mathematics is whether there is an external mathematical reality, something out there to be discovered, or whether mathematics is the product of the human mind. This provocative book, now available in a revised and expanded paperback edition, goes beyond foundationalist questions to offer what has been called a "postmodern" assessment of the philosophy of mathematics--one that addresses issues of theoretical importance in terms of mathematical experience. By bringing together essays of leading philosophers, mathematicians, logicians, and computer scientists, Thomas Tymoczko reveals an evolving effort to account for the nature of mathematics in relation to other human activities. These accounts include such topics as the history of mathematics as a field of study, predictions about how computers will influence the future organization of mathematics, and what processes a proof undergoes before it reaches publishable form. This expanded edition now contains essays by Penelope Maddy, Michael D. Resnik, and William P. Thurston that address the nature of mathematical proofs. The editor has provided a new afterword and a supplemental bibliography of recent work.

Introducing Philosophy of Mathematics

Introducing Philosophy of Mathematics
Author: Michele Friend
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2014-12-05
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1317493796

What is mathematics about? Does the subject-matter of mathematics exist independently of the mind or are they mental constructions? How do we know mathematics? Is mathematical knowledge logical knowledge? And how is mathematics applied to the material world? In this introduction to the philosophy of mathematics, Michele Friend examines these and other ontological and epistemological problems raised by the content and practice of mathematics. Aimed at a readership with limited proficiency in mathematics but with some experience of formal logic it seeks to strike a balance between conceptual accessibility and correct representation of the issues. Friend examines the standard theories of mathematics - Platonism, realism, logicism, formalism, constructivism and structuralism - as well as some less standard theories such as psychologism, fictionalism and Meinongian philosophy of mathematics. In each case Friend explains what characterises the position and where the divisions between them lie, including some of the arguments in favour and against each. This book also explores particular questions that occupy present-day philosophers and mathematicians such as the problem of infinity, mathematical intuition and the relationship, if any, between the philosophy of mathematics and the practice of mathematics. Taking in the canonical ideas of Aristotle, Kant, Frege and Whitehead and Russell as well as the challenging and innovative work of recent philosophers like Benacerraf, Hellman, Maddy and Shapiro, Friend provides a balanced and accessible introduction suitable for upper-level undergraduate courses and the non-specialist.

Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Mathematics

Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Mathematics
Author: V.H. Klenk
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9401013918

Wittgenstein's remarks on mathematics have not received the recogni tion they deserve; they have for the most part been either ignored, or dismissed as unworthy of the author of the Tractatus and the I nvestiga tions. This is unfortunate, I believe, and not at all fair, for these remarks are not only enjoyable reading, as even the harshest critics have con ceded, but also a rich and genuine source of insight into the nature of mathematics. It is perhaps the fact that they are more suggestive than systematic which has put so many people off; there is nothing here of formal derivation and very little attempt even at sustained and organized argumentation. The remarks are fragmentary and often obscure, if one does not recognize the point at which they are directed. Nevertheless, there is much here that is good, and even a fairly system atic and coherent account of mathematics. What I have tried to do in the following pages is to reconstruct the system behind the often rather disconnected commentary, and to show that when the theory emerges, most of the harsh criticism which has been directed against these re marks is seen to be without foundation. This is meant to be a sym pathetic account of Wittgenstein's views on mathematics, and I hope that it will at least contribute to a further reading and reassessment of his contributions to the philosophy of mathematics.

Syntacticism and Functional Completeness

Syntacticism and Functional Completeness
Author: Odysseus Makridis
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 608
Release: 2023-12-21
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1527556379

This book constructs an idealized version of what the author calls syntacticism, a school of thought in the philosophy of logic which is congenial to analytical philosophy, logical positivism, and anti-metaphysical nominalism. It examines in detail both technical metalogical and broad philosophic issues associated with this way of thinking about logic, and specifically addresses anomalies around symbolic expressivity, which is crucial for this approach, with a view to provide both a deeper understanding and a critique. The range of fields and interests addressed include: the philosophy of logic, formal logic and mathematical logic, the analytical school of philosophy, logical positivism and nominalism, parallels between thinking about logic and the formalist school in the philosophy of mathematics, the history of modern logic, Wittgenstein’s Tractatus, Leśniewski’s protothetic, dialogue logic, and combinatorial logic.