The Hyperuniverse Project and Maximality

The Hyperuniverse Project and Maximality PDF

Author: Carolin Antos

Publisher: Birkhäuser

Published: 2018-01-30

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 3319629352

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This collection documents the work of the Hyperuniverse Project which is a new approach to set-theoretic truth based on justifiable principles and which leads to the resolution of many questions independent from ZFC. The contributions give an overview of the program, illustrate its mathematical content and implications, and also discuss its philosophical assumptions. It will thus be of wide appeal among mathematicians and philosophers with an interest in the foundations of set theory. The Hyperuniverse Project was supported by the John Templeton Foundation from January 2013 until September 2015

Quine, Structure, and Ontology

Quine, Structure, and Ontology PDF

Author: Frederique Janssen-Lauret

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020-10-22

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0198864280

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W.V. Quine, a champion of philosophical naturalism and pioneer of mathematical logic, was one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. This volume provides a full picture of the development of Quine's views on structure and how it permeates and shapes his attitude to a range of philosophical questions.

Philosophy of Mathematics

Philosophy of Mathematics PDF

Author: Ahmet Cevik

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2021-11-09

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1000468801

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The philosophy of mathematics is an exciting subject. Philosophy of Mathematics: Classic and Contemporary Studies explores the foundations of mathematical thought. The aim of this book is to encourage young mathematicians to think about the philosophical issues behind fundamental concepts and about different views on mathematical objects and mathematical knowledge. With this new approach, the author rekindles an interest in philosophical subjects surrounding the foundations of mathematics. He offers the mathematical motivations behind the topics under debate. He introduces various philosophical positions ranging from the classic views to more contemporary ones, including subjects which are more engaged with mathematical logic. Most books on philosophy of mathematics have little to no focus on the effects of philosophical views on mathematical practice, and no concern on giving crucial mathematical results and their philosophical relevance, consequences, reasons, etc. This book fills this gap. The book can be used as a textbook for a one-semester or even one-year course on philosophy of mathematics. "Other textbooks on the philosophy of mathematics are aimed at philosophers. This book is aimed at mathematicians. Since the author is a mathematician, it is a valuable addition to the literature." - Mark Balaguer, California State University, Los Angeles "There are not many such texts available for mathematics students. I applaud efforts to foster the dialogue between mathematics and philosophy." - Michele Friend, George Washington University and CNRS, Lille, France

Objectivity, Realism, and Proof

Objectivity, Realism, and Proof PDF

Author: Francesca Boccuni

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-07-05

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 3319316443

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This volume covers a wide range of topics in the most recent debates in the philosophy of mathematics, and is dedicated to how semantic, epistemological, ontological and logical issues interact in the attempt to give a satisfactory picture of mathematical knowledge. The essays collected here explore the semantic and epistemic problems raised by different kinds of mathematical objects, by their characterization in terms of axiomatic theories, and by the objectivity of both pure and applied mathematics. They investigate controversial aspects of contemporary theories such as neo-logicist abstractionism, structuralism, or multiversism about sets, by discussing different conceptions of mathematical realism and rival relativistic views on the mathematical universe. They consider fundamental philosophical notions such as set, cardinal number, truth, ground, finiteness and infinity, examining how their informal conceptions can best be captured in formal theories. The philosophy of mathematics is an extremely lively field of inquiry, with extensive reaches in disciplines such as logic and philosophy of logic, semantics, ontology, epistemology, cognitive sciences, as well as history and philosophy of mathematics and science. By bringing together well-known scholars and younger researchers, the essays in this collection – prompted by the meetings of the Italian Network for the Philosophy of Mathematics (FilMat) – show how much valuable research is currently being pursued in this area, and how many roads ahead are still open for promising solutions to long-standing philosophical concerns. Promoted by the Italian Network for the Philosophy of Mathematics – FilMat

Second Philosophy

Second Philosophy PDF

Author: Penelope Maddy

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2007-04-19

Total Pages: 461

ISBN-13: 0199273669

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Many philosophers these days consider themselves naturalists, but it's doubtful any two of them intend the same position by the term. In this book, Penelope Maddy describes and practises a particularly austere form of naturalism called 'Second Philosophy'. Without a definitive criterion for what counts as 'science' and what doesn't, Second Philosophy can't be specified directly - 'trust only the methods of science!' or some such thing - so Maddy proceeds instead by illustratingthe behaviours of an idealized inquirer she calls the 'Second Philosopher'. This Second Philosopher begins from perceptual common sense and progresses from there to systematic observation, active experimentation, theory formation and testing, working all the while to assess, correct and improve hermethods as she goes. Second Philosophy is then the result of the Second Philosopher's investigations.Maddy delineates the Second Philosopher's approach by tracing her reactions to various familiar skeptical and transcendental views (Descartes, Kant, Carnap, late Putnam, van Fraassen), comparing her methods to those of other self-described naturalists (especially Quine), and examining a prominent contemporary debate (between disquotationalists and correspondence theorists in the theory of truth) to extract a properly second-philosophical line of thought. She then undertakes to practise SecondPhilosophy in her reflections on the ground of logical truth, the methodology, ontology and epistemology of mathematics, and the general prospects for metaphysics naturalized.

Reflections on the Foundations of Mathematics

Reflections on the Foundations of Mathematics PDF

Author: Stefania Centrone

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-11-11

Total Pages: 511

ISBN-13: 3030156559

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This edited work presents contemporary mathematical practice in the foundational mathematical theories, in particular set theory and the univalent foundations. It shares the work of significant scholars across the disciplines of mathematics, philosophy and computer science. Readers will discover systematic thought on criteria for a suitable foundation in mathematics and philosophical reflections around the mathematical perspectives. The volume is divided into three sections, the first two of which focus on the two most prominent candidate theories for a foundation of mathematics. Readers may trace current research in set theory, which has widely been assumed to serve as a framework for foundational issues, as well as new material elaborating on the univalent foundations, considering an approach based on homotopy type theory (HoTT). The third section then builds on this and is centred on philosophical questions connected to the foundations of mathematics. Here, the authors contribute to discussions on foundational criteria with more general thoughts on the foundations of mathematics which are not connected to particular theories. This book shares the work of some of the most important scholars in the fields of set theory (S. Friedman), non-classical logic (G. Priest) and the philosophy of mathematics (P. Maddy). The reader will become aware of the advantages of each theory and objections to it as a foundation, following the latest and best work across the disciplines and it is therefore a valuable read for anyone working on the foundations of mathematics or in the philosophy of mathematics.

Objects, Structures, and Logics

Objects, Structures, and Logics PDF

Author: Gianluigi Oliveri

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-03-08

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 3030847063

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This edited collection casts light on central issues within contemporary philosophy of mathematics such as the realism/anti-realism dispute; the relationship between logic and metaphysics; and the question of whether mathematics is a science of objects or structures. The discussions offered in the papers involve an in-depth investigation of, among other things, the notions of mathematical truth, proof, and grounding; and, often, a special emphasis is placed on considerations relating to mathematical practice. A distinguishing feature of the book is the multicultural nature of the community that has produced it. Philosophers, logicians, and mathematicians have all contributed high-quality articles which will prove valuable to researchers and students alike.

Absolute Generality

Absolute Generality PDF

Author: Agustín Rayo

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2006-11-23

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 0199276420

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Is it possible to quantify over absolutely all there is? Or must all of our quantifiers range over a less-than-all-inclusive domain? It has commonly been thought that the question of absolute generality is intimately connected with the set-theoretic antinomies. But the topic of absolute generality has enjoyed a surge of interest in recent years. It has become increasingly apparent that its ramifications extend well beyond the foundations of set theory. Connections include semanticindeterminacy, logical consequence, higher-order languages, and metaphysics.Rayo and Uzquiano present for the first time a collection of essays on absolute generality. These newly commissioned articles -- written by an impressive array of international scholars -- draw the reader into the forefront of contemporary research on the subject. The volume represents a variety of approaches to the problem, with some of the contributions arguing for the possibility of all-inclusive quantification and some of them arguing against it. An introduction by the editors draws ahelpful map of the philosophical terrain.

Naturalism in Mathematics

Naturalism in Mathematics PDF

Author: Penelope Maddy

Publisher: Clarendon Press

Published: 1997-11-13

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0191518972

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Our much-valued mathematical knowledge rests on two supports: the logic of proof and the axioms from which those proofs begin. Naturalism in Mathematics investigates the status of the latter, the fundamental assumptions of mathematics. These were once held to be self-evident, but progress in work on the foundations of mathematics, especially in set theory, has rendered that comforting notion obsolete. Given that candidates for axiomatic status cannot be proved, what sorts of considerations can be offered for or against them? That is the central question addressed in this book. One answer is that mathematics aims to describe an objective world of mathematical objects, and that axiom candidates should be judged by their truth or falsity in that world. This promising view—realism—is assessed and finally rejected in favour of another—naturalism—which attends less to metaphysical considerations of objective truth and falsity, and more to practical considerations drawn from within mathematics itself. Penelope Maddy defines this naturalism, explains the motivation for it, and shows how it can be helpfully applied in the assessment of candidates for axiomatic status in set theory. Maddy's clear, original treatment of this fundamental issue is informed by current work in both philosophy and mathematics, and will be accessible and enlightening to readers from both disciplines.