Defending the Axioms On the Philosophical Foundations of Set Theory
, by Maddy, PenelopeNote: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780199596188 | 0199596182
- Cover: Hardcover
- Copyright: 3/15/2011
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 Axiomsisolates 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.