Defending the Axioms: On the Philosophical Foundations of Set Theory
Defending the Axioms: On the Philosophical Foundations of Set Theory By Penelope Maddy
2011 | 162 Pages | ISBN: 0199596182 | PDF | 2 MB
2011 | 162 Pages | ISBN: 0199596182 | PDF | 2 MB
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.