In this paper we develop a systematic account of trust in mathematics based on Katherine Hawley’s commitment account of trust. We focus on two related clusters of trust relationships in mathematical practice: (i) trusting relationships that are established when someone claims to have proven a result, and (ii) trusting others to check specific putative proofs. The image of mathematics that will emerge from our analysis is one of a deeply social discipline, where trust and its absence are an important component of how justification goes from individual mathematicians to the mathematical community, and the social mechanisms of checking proofs.
Trust in Mathematics
De Toffoli, Silvia;Tanswell, Fenner Stanley
2025-01-01
Abstract
In this paper we develop a systematic account of trust in mathematics based on Katherine Hawley’s commitment account of trust. We focus on two related clusters of trust relationships in mathematical practice: (i) trusting relationships that are established when someone claims to have proven a result, and (ii) trusting others to check specific putative proofs. The image of mathematics that will emerge from our analysis is one of a deeply social discipline, where trust and its absence are an important component of how justification goes from individual mathematicians to the mathematical community, and the social mechanisms of checking proofs.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
