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Single Idea 10061

[filed under theme 5. Theory of Logic / C. Ontology of Logic / 3. If-Thenism ]

Full Idea

The If-thenist view seems to apply straightforwardly only to the axiomatised portions of mathematics.

Gist of Idea

The If-thenist view only seems to work for the axiomatised portions of mathematics

Source

Alan Musgrave (Logicism Revisited [1977], §5)

Book Ref

-: 'British Soc for the Philosophy of Science' [-], p.119


A Reaction

He cites Lakatos to show that cutting-edge mathematics is never axiomatised. One might reply that if the new mathematics is any good then it ought to be axiomatis-able (barring Gödelian problems).

Related Idea

Idea 8752 Deductivism says mathematics is logical consequences of uninterpreted axioms [Shapiro]


The 8 ideas from Alan Musgrave

Logical truths may contain non-logical notions, as in 'all men are men' [Musgrave]
A statement is logically true if it comes out true in all interpretations in all (non-empty) domains [Musgrave]
Logical positivists adopted an If-thenist version of logicism about numbers [Musgrave]
No two numbers having the same successor relies on the Axiom of Infinity [Musgrave]
Formalism seems to exclude all creative, growing mathematics [Musgrave]
Formalism is a bulwark of logical positivism [Musgrave]
The If-thenist view only seems to work for the axiomatised portions of mathematics [Musgrave]
Perhaps If-thenism survives in mathematics if we stick to first-order logic [Musgrave]