Single Idea 8756

[catalogued under 6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 2. Intuition of Mathematics]

Full Idea

Maddy says that intuition alone does not support very much mathematics; more importantly, a naturalist cannot accept intuition at face value, but must ask why we are justified in relying on intuition.

Gist of Idea

Intuition doesn't support much mathematics, and we should question its reliability

Source

report of Penelope Maddy (Realism in Mathematics [1990]) by Stewart Shapiro - Thinking About Mathematics 8.3

Book Reference

Shapiro,Stewart: 'Thinking About Mathematics' [OUP 2000], p.224


A Reaction

It depends what you mean by 'intuition', but I identify with her second objection, that every faculty must ultimately be subject to criticism, which seems to point to a fairly rationalist view of things.