What is mathematics about? And if it is about some sort of mathematical reality, how can we have access to it? This is the problem raised by Plato, and it is still today the subject of lively philosophical disputes. This book traces the history of the problem, from its origins to its contemporary treatment. It discusses the answers given by Aristotle, Proclus and Kant, through Frege’s and Russell’s versions of logicism, Hilbert’s formalism, Gödel’s platonism, up to the the current debate on Benacerraf’s dilemma and the indispensability argument. Through the consideration of themes in the philosophy of language, ontology, and the philosophy of science, the book aims at offering an historically informed introduction to the philosophy of mathematics, approached through the lenses of its most fundamental problem.
Plato's Problem. An Introduction to Mathematical Platonism.
Sereni A
2013-01-01
Abstract
What is mathematics about? And if it is about some sort of mathematical reality, how can we have access to it? This is the problem raised by Plato, and it is still today the subject of lively philosophical disputes. This book traces the history of the problem, from its origins to its contemporary treatment. It discusses the answers given by Aristotle, Proclus and Kant, through Frege’s and Russell’s versions of logicism, Hilbert’s formalism, Gödel’s platonism, up to the the current debate on Benacerraf’s dilemma and the indispensability argument. Through the consideration of themes in the philosophy of language, ontology, and the philosophy of science, the book aims at offering an historically informed introduction to the philosophy of mathematics, approached through the lenses of its most fundamental problem.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
