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Single Idea 10277

[from 'Philosophy of Mathematics' by Stewart Shapiro, in 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 7. Fictionalism ]

Full Idea

One result of the structuralist perspective is a healthy blurring of the distinction between mathematical and ordinary objects. ..'According to the structuralist, physical configurations often instantiate mathematical patterns'.

Gist of Idea

Structuralism blurs the distinction between mathematical and ordinary objects

Source

Stewart Shapiro (Philosophy of Mathematics [1997], 8.4)

Book Reference

Shapiro,Stewart: 'Philosophy of Mathematics:structure and ontology' [OUP 1997], p.256


A Reaction

[The quotation is from Penelope Maddy 1988 p.28] This is probably the main reason why I found structuralism interesting, and began to investigate it.