Defending the Axioms: On the Philosophical Foundations of Set Theory - Softcover

Maddy, Penelope

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199671486 ISBN 13: 9780199671489

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Mathematics depends on proofs, and proofs must begin somewhere, from some fundamental assumptions. For nearly a century, the axioms of set theory have played this role, so the question of how these axioms are properly judged takes on a central importance. Approaching the question from a broadly naturalistic or second-philosophical point of view, Defending the Axioms isolates the appropriate methods for such evaluations and investigates the ontological and epistemological backdrop that makes them appropriate. In the end, a new account of the objectivity of mathematics emerges, one refreshingly free of metaphysical commitments.

About this title

Product Description

Defending the Axioms Mathematics depends on proofs, and proofs must begin somewhere, from some fundamental assumptions. The axioms of set theory have long played this role, so the question of how they are properly judged is of central importance. Maddy discusses the appropriate methods for such evaluations and the philosophical backdrop that makes them appropriate. Full description

Review

'an engaging contribution to an important philosophical debate [which] deserves to be read far beyond the ranks of philosophers of mathematics' (Journal of Philosophy)

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0199671486
• ISBN 13: 9780199671489
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 162