Combining Texts
Ideas for
'Thinking About Mathematics', 'An Analysis of Knowledge and Valuation' and 'Maths as a Science of Patterns'
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20 ideas
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 1. Mathematics
6304
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Mathematical realism says that maths exists, is largely true, and is independent of proofs [Resnik]
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6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / b. Types of number
8763
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The number 3 is presumably identical as a natural, an integer, a rational, a real, and complex [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / h. Reals from Cauchy
18249
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Cauchy gave a formal definition of a converging sequence. [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 1. Foundations for Mathematics
8764
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Categories are the best foundation for mathematics [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 5. Definitions of Number / f. Zermelo numbers
8762
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Two definitions of 3 in terms of sets disagree over whether 1 is a member of 3 [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 7. Mathematical Structuralism / a. Structuralism
6300
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Mathematical constants and quantifiers only exist as locations within structures or patterns [Resnik]
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6303
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Sets are positions in patterns [Resnik]
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8760
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Numbers do not exist independently; the essence of a number is its relations to other numbers [Shapiro]
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8761
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A 'system' is related objects; a 'pattern' or 'structure' abstracts the pure relations from them [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 7. Mathematical Structuralism / d. Platonist structuralism
6302
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Structuralism must explain why a triangle is a whole, and not a random set of points [Resnik]
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6295
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There are too many mathematical objects for them all to be mental or physical [Resnik]
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6296
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Maths is pattern recognition and representation, and its truth and proofs are based on these [Resnik]
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6301
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Congruence is the strongest relationship of patterns, equivalence comes next, and mutual occurrence is the weakest [Resnik]
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6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 6. Logicism / d. Logicism critique
8744
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Logicism seems to be a non-starter if (as is widely held) logic has no ontology of its own [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 7. Formalism
8749
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Term Formalism says mathematics is just about symbols - but real numbers have no names [Shapiro]
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8750
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Game Formalism is just a matter of rules, like chess - but then why is it useful in science? [Shapiro]
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8752
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Deductivism says mathematics is logical consequences of uninterpreted axioms [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 10. Constructivism / b. Intuitionism
8753
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Critics resent the way intuitionism cripples mathematics, but it allows new important distinctions [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 10. Constructivism / c. Conceptualism
8731
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Conceptualist are just realists or idealist or nominalists, depending on their view of concepts [Shapiro]
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6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 10. Constructivism / d. Predicativism
8730
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'Impredicative' definitions refer to the thing being described [Shapiro]
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