Philosophy of Mathematics: An Introduction

Part I: Plato versus Aristotle:.

A. Plato.

1. The Socratic Background.

2. The Theory of Recollection.

3. Platonism in Mathematics.

4. Retractions: the Divided Line in Republic VI (509d−511e).

B. Aristotle.

5. The Overall Position.

6. Idealizations.

7. Complications.

8. Problems with Infinity.

C. Prospects.

Part II: From Aristotle to Kant:.

1. Medieval Times.

2. Descartes.

3. Locke, Berkeley, Hume.

4. A Remark on Conceptualism.

5. Kant: the Problem.

6. Kant: the Solution.

Part III: Reactions to Kant:.

1. Mill on Geometry.

2. Mill versus Frege on Arithmetic.

3. Analytic Truths.

4. Concluding Remarks.

Part IV: Mathematics and its Foundations:.

1. Geometry.

2. Different Kinds of Number.

3. The Calculus.

4. Return to Foundations.

5. Infinite Numbers.

6. Foundations Again.

Part V: Logicism:.

1. Frege.

2. Russell.

3. Borkowski/Bostock.

4. Set Theory.

5. Logic.

6. Definition.

Part VI: Formalism:.

1. Hilbert.

2. Gödel.

3. Pure Formalism.

4. Structuralism.

5. Some Comments.

Part VII: Intuitionism:.

1. Brouwer.

2. Intuitionist Logic.

3. The Irrelevance of Ontology.

4. The Attack on Classical Logic.

Part VIII: Predicativism:.

1. Russell and the VCP.

2. Russell’s Ramified Theory and the Axiom of Reducibility.

3. Predicative Theories after Russell.

4. Concluding Remarks.

Part IX: Realism versus Nominalism:.

A. Realism.

1. Gödel.

2. Neo-Fregeans.

3. Quine and Putnam.

B. Nominalism.

4. Reductive Nominalism.

5. Fictionalism.

6. Concluding Remarks.

References.

Index