Prerequisite: PHIL 150 or consent of instructor. This is a general overview of the philosophy of mathematics, focusing on the nature of mathematical truth and knowledge, the metaphysics of mathematical objects, and issues arising from mathematical practice. Topics to be discussed will include logicism, intuitionism, formalism, Goedel's incompleteness theorem, platonism, nominalism, fictionalism, structuralism, the nature of mathematical rigor, the role of diagrams in mathematics, and mathematical beauty.
4 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
Prerequisite: PHIL150 or consent of instructor. This is a general overview of the philosophy of mathematics, focusing on the nature of mathematical truth and knowledge, the metaphysics of mathematical objects, and issues arising from mathematical practice. Topics to be discussed will include logicism, intuitionism, formalism, Goedel's incompleteness theorem, platonism, nominalism, fictionalism, structuralism, the nature of mathematical rigor, the role of diagrams in mathematics, and mathematical beauty.