The Philosophical Status of Diagrams (Hardcover, 74th ed.)

The use of diagrams in logic and geometry has encountered resistance in recent years. For a proof to be valid in geometry, it must not rely on the graphical properties of a diagram. In logic, the teaching of proofs depends on sentenial representations, ideas formed as natural language sentences such as "If A is true and B is true...." No serious formal proof system is based on diagrams.
This book explores the reasons why structured graphics have been largely ignored in contemporary formal theories of axiomatic systems. In particular, it elucidates the systematic forces in the intellectual history of mathematics which have driven the adoption of sentential representational styles over diagrammatic ones. In this book, the effects of historical forces on the evolution of diagrammatically-based systems of inference in logic and geometry are traced from antiquity to the early twentieth-century work of David Hilbert. From this exploration emerges an understanding that the present negative attitudes towards the use of diagrams in logic and geometry owe more to implicit appeals to their history and philosophical background than to any technical incompatibility with modern theories of logical systems.

General

Imprint:	Centre for the Study of Language & Information
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Lecture Notes
Release date:	March 2001
First published:	March 2001
Authors:	Mark Greaves
Dimensions:	243 x 163 x 2mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	221
Edition:	74th ed.
ISBN-13:	978-1-57586-293-4
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Mathematics > Philosophy of mathematics Books > Humanities > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Logic Books > Science & Mathematics > Mathematics > Geometry > General Books > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Logic
LSN:	1-57586-293-X
Barcode:	9781575862934

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!