Combining Texts

Ideas for 'That Politics may be reduced to a Science', 'Philosophy of Mathematics' and 'God in Plato'

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3 ideas

4. Formal Logic / F. Set Theory ST / 4. Axioms for Sets / j. Axiom of Choice IX
Axiom of Choice: some function has a value for every set in a given set [Shapiro]
     Full Idea: One version of the Axiom of Choice says that for every set A of nonempty sets, there is a function whose domain is A and whose value, for every a ∈ A, is a member of a.
     From: Stewart Shapiro (Philosophy of Mathematics [1997], 1)
The Axiom of Choice seems to license an infinite amount of choosing [Shapiro]
     Full Idea: If the Axiom of Choice says we can choose one member from each of a set of non-empty sets and put the chosen elements together in a set, this licenses the constructor to do an infinite amount of choosing.
     From: Stewart Shapiro (Philosophy of Mathematics [1997], 6.3)
     A reaction: This is one reason why the Axiom was originally controversial, and still is for many philosophers.
4. Formal Logic / F. Set Theory ST / 8. Critique of Set Theory
Anti-realists reject set theory [Shapiro]
     Full Idea: Anti-realists reject set theory.
     From: Stewart Shapiro (Philosophy of Mathematics [1997], Intro)
     A reaction: That is, anti-realists about mathematical objects. I would have thought that one could accept an account of sets as (say) fictions, which provided interesting models of mathematics etc.