Defending the Axioms: On the Philosophical Foundations of Set Theory (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780199671489)

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.

Author: Penelope Maddy
ISBN-10: 0199671486
ISBN-13: 9780199671489
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 05/05/2013
Pages: 162
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.43lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.35d