Defending the Axioms

On the Philosophical Foundations of Set Theory

Penelope Maddy author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:27th Jan '11

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Defending the Axioms cover

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.

the book is an engaging contribution to an important philosophical debate and deserves to be read far beyond the ranks of philosophers of mathematics. * Øystein Linnebo, Journal of Philosophy *

ISBN: 9780199596188

Dimensions: 223mm x 153mm x 18mm

Weight: 326g

162 pages