| Description |
viii, 172 pages ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-167) and index. |
| Contents |
[Chapter 1] Mathematics and its applications -- Realism and Anti-realism in mathematics -- Indispensability arguments -- The road ahead -- [Chapter 2] The Quinean Backdrop -- Introducing naturalism -- Quinean naturalism -- The methodologies of philosophies and science -- The causal version of naturalism -- Holism -- The first premise revisited -- [Chapter 3] The Eleatic Principle -- The inductive argument -- The Epistemic Argument -- The argument from causal explanation -- causal relevance -- Rejecting inference to the best explanation -- The content of scientific theories -- The moral -- Recapitulation -- [Chapter 4] Field's Fictionalism -- The science without numbers project -- What is it to be indispensable? -- The role of confirmation theory -- The role of mathematics in physical theories -- Review of Field's fictionalism -- [Chapter 5] Maddy's Objections -- The objections -- Maddy's Naturalism -- Defending the indispensability argument -- Review of Maddy's objections -- [Chapter 6] The Empirical Nature if Mathematical Knowledge -- The obviousness of some mathematical truth -- The unfalsifiability of mathematics -- The sober objection -- Is mathematics contingent? -- [Chapter 7] Conclusion -- What the argument doesn't show -- The Benacerraf challenges -- A slippery slope? -- |
| Subject |
Mathematics -- Philosophy.
|
|
Mathematics -- Philosophy. |
| ISBN |
0195166612 acid-free paper |
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