0
Your cart

Your cart is empty

Browse All Departments
  • All Departments
Price
  • R10,000+ (1)
  • -
Status
Brand

Showing 1 - 1 of 1 matches in All Departments

Philosophy of Mathematics (Hardcover): A. Paseau Philosophy of Mathematics (Hardcover)
A. Paseau
R28,297 R23,126 Discovery Miles 231 260 Save R5,171 (18%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Mathematics is everywhere and yet its objects are nowhere. There may be five apples on the table but the number five itself is not to be found in, on, beside or anywhere near the apples. So if not in space and time, where are numbers and other mathematical objects such as perfect circles and functions? And how do we humans discover facts about them, be it Pythagoras' Theorem or Fermat's Last Theorem? The metaphysical question of what numbers are and the epistemological question of how we know about them are central to the philosophy of mathematics. These and related philosophical questions are of particular interest because of mathematics' unusual status. Mathematics is exceptional in that, on the one hand, it appears unhesitatingly true-no one doubts that 2 + 3 = 5-but on the other, as just noted, it is not about the physical world. This ambivalent status is what gives the philosophy of mathematics its special interest. The philosophy of mathematics is also one of the oldest academic fields, more or less coeval with philosophy itself. But contemporary philosophy of mathematics is rather different from its pre-twentieth-century antecedents, largely for three reasons. The first is that since the seventeenth century, mathematics has become integral to science. Science has over the past few centuries become increasingly mathematical, and indeed the fundamental science of nature, physics, is today recognised as a branch of applied mathematics. The second is that mathematics underwent a transformation in the course of nineteenth century: having started the century as a rather traditional-looking science of quantity it emerged a hundred years later a radically transformed abstract theory of structure. The final factor in the transformation of the philosophy of mathematics is the rise of modern logic. Developed by Frege, Cantor and others in the late nineteenth century, modern logic pervades contemporary mathematics, philosophy and computer science, and has had an immeasurable effect on the philosophy of mathematics. These volumes will collect the major works in this major field, with a focus on the last few decades. The anthology will include technical work, which interprets philosophically significant mathematical results or subfields of mathematics, as well as purely philosophical writing, aimed at those without advanced mathematics. The collection should be of interest to both philosophers and mathematicians, as well as to anyone who is susceptible to wondering what the main intellectual tool used in science, economics and finance, and indeed everyday life is ultimately about.

Free Delivery
Pinterest Twitter Facebook Google+
You may like...
Solal Omega-3 Krill Oil (60 Capsules)
R349 Discovery Miles 3 490
GBC 230 MultiBind Manual Binding Machine…
R29,149 R16,999 Discovery Miles 169 990
Loot
Nadine Gordimer Paperback  (2)
R205 R168 Discovery Miles 1 680
Bestway Water Polo Frame (Colour may…
R230 R218 Discovery Miles 2 180
Casio LW-200-7AV Watch with 10-Year…
R999 R884 Discovery Miles 8 840
Meg 2: The Trench
Jason Statham DVD R172 Discovery Miles 1 720
Zap! Polymer Clay Jewellery
Kit R250 R212 Discovery Miles 2 120
Peptine Pro Canine/Feline Hydrolysed…
R369 R259 Discovery Miles 2 590
Defy Steam Iron (1750W)
R278 Discovery Miles 2 780
Energizer Max D 4 Pack
R166 Discovery Miles 1 660

 

Partners