Why Is There Philosophy of Mathematics at All? (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781107658158)

This truly philosophical book takes us back to fundamentals - the sheer experience of proof, and the enigmatic relation of mathematics to nature. It asks unexpected questions, such as 'what makes mathematics mathematics?', 'where did proof come from and how did it evolve?', and 'how did the distinction between pure and applied mathematics come into being?' In a wide-ranging discussion that is both immersed in the past and unusually attuned to the competing philosophical ideas of contemporary mathematicians, it shows that proof and other forms of mathematical exploration continue to be living, evolving practices - responsive to new technologies, yet embedded in permanent (and astonishing) facts about human beings. It distinguishes several distinct types of application of mathematics, and shows how each leads to a different philosophical conundrum. Here is a remarkable body of new philosophical thinking about proofs, applications, and other mathematical activities.

Author: Ian Hacking
ISBN-10: 1107658152
ISBN-13: 9781107658158
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/30/2014
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.93lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.70d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2014 pg. 624