Combining Philosophers

Ideas for Lynch,MP/Glasgow,JM, Peter Goldie and Michael Dummett

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2 ideas

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 5. Objectivity
What matters in mathematics is its objectivity, not the existence of the objects [Dummett]
     Full Idea: As Kreisel has remarked, what is important is not the existence of mathematical objects, but the objectivity of mathematical statements.
     From: Michael Dummett (Frege Philosophy of Language (2nd ed) [1973], Ch.14)
     A reaction: [see Maddy 2011:115 for the history of this idea] It seems rather unclear where Frege stands on objectivity. Maddy embraces it, following up this idea, and Tyler Burge's fat book on objectivity.
The personal view can still be objective, so I call sciences 'impersonal', rather than objective [Goldie]
     Full Idea: 'Objective' is misleading because it is possible to be, from a personal point of view, more or less objective; objectivity admits of degrees… I prefer to speak of sciences as 'impersonal', because the personal view is lost.
     From: Peter Goldie (The Emotions [2000], Intro)
     A reaction: This evidently relates to Perry's claim that the world contains additional indexical facts. I think I agree with this thought. Objectivity is a mode of subjectivity. Thermometers are not 'objective'. Physics is certainly impersonal.