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Charles Parsons - Philosophy of Mathematics in the Twentieth Century: Selected Essays - 9780674728066 - V9780674728066
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Philosophy of Mathematics in the Twentieth Century: Selected Essays

€ 91.25
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Description for Philosophy of Mathematics in the Twentieth Century: Selected Essays Hardback. In these selected essays, Charles Parsons surveys the contributions of philosophers and mathematicians who shaped the philosophy of mathematics over the past century: Brouwer, Hilbert, Bernays, Weyl, Godel, Russell, Quine, Putnam, Wang, and Tait. Num Pages: 368 pages. BIC Classification: HPCF5; HPL; PBCD; PBX. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly. Dimension: 243 x 156 x 29. Weight in Grams: 700.
In this illuminating collection, Charles Parsons surveys the contributions of philosophers and mathematicians who shaped the philosophy of mathematics over the course of the past century. Parsons begins with a discussion of the Kantian legacy in the work of L. E. J. Brouwer, David Hilbert, and Paul Bernays, shedding light on how Bernays revised his philosophy after his collaboration with Hilbert. He considers Hermann Weyl's idea of a vicious circle in the foundations of mathematics, a radical claim that elicited many challenges. Turning to Kurt Goedel, whose incompleteness theorem transformed debate on the foundations of mathematics and brought mathematical logic to maturity, Parsons discusses his essay on Bertrand Russell's mathematical logic--Goedel's first mature philosophical statement and an avowal of his Platonistic view. Philosophy of Mathematics in the Twentieth Century insightfully treats the contributions of figures the author knew personally: W. V. Quine, Hilary Putnam, Hao Wang, and William Tait. Quine's early work on ontology is explored, as is his nominalistic view of predication and his use of the genetic method of explanation in the late work The Roots of Reference. Parsons attempts to tease out Putnam's views on existence and ontology, especially in relation to logic and mathematics. Wang's contributions to subjects ranging from the concept of set, minds, and machines to the interpretation of Goedel are examined, as are Tait's axiomatic conception of mathematics, his minimalist realism, and his thoughts on historical figures.

Product Details

Publisher
Harvard University Press
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2014
Condition
New
Weight
699g
Number of Pages
368
Place of Publication
Cambridge, Mass, United States
ISBN
9780674728066
SKU
V9780674728066
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1

About Charles Parsons
Charles Parsons is Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, at Harvard University.

Reviews for Philosophy of Mathematics in the Twentieth Century: Selected Essays
This is a truly superb book. Parsons is quite possibly the most distinguished writer on philosophy of mathematics now working and certainly the most careful and probing. These essays examine a rather wide range of historical opinion on mathematical matters, both with an eye to demanding more careful interpretations and formulations from important writers such as Kant or G del while remaining sympathetic to their overall philosophical ambitions. Parsons's treatments are unsurpassed.
Mark Wilson, University of Pittsburgh Parsons is a much admired and highly respected philosopher of mathematics and logic, well known for his thoughtful and careful reflections on both the great historical figures and on work of the previous century. He is also an astute commentator on the current literature, engaging the contemporary debates and offering illuminating insights about its content and direction. This volume offers a unique opportunity for those not fortunate enough to have attended classes of Parsons's to form some idea of what such an experience would be like.
William Demopoulos, University of Western Ontario

Goodreads reviews for Philosophy of Mathematics in the Twentieth Century: Selected Essays


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