Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Thinking About Mathematics', 'Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics' and 'Frege philosophy of mathematics'

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3 ideas

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 2. Realism
Realism is just the application of two-valued semantics to sentences [Dummett]
     Full Idea: Fully fledged realism depends on - indeed, may be identified with - an undiluted application to sentences of the relevant kind of straightforwards two-valued semantics.
     From: Michael Dummett (Frege philosophy of mathematics [1991], Ch.15)
     A reaction: This is the sort of account you get from a whole-heartedly linguistic philosopher. Personally I would say that Dummett has got it precisely the wrong way round: I adopt a two-valued semantics because my metaphysics is realist.
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 3. Reality
Reality can be seen as the totality of facts, or as the totality of things [Hofweber]
     Full Idea: Reality can be seen as everything that is the case - the totality of all facts that obtain - or reality can be seen as everything there is - the totality of all things that exist.
     From: Thomas Hofweber (Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics [2016], 10)
     A reaction: Things are a lot easier to specify than facts, but on the whole I prefer facts, just in order to affirm that there is more to reality than the mere 'things' that compose it. Our ontology must capture the dynamic and relational character of reality.
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 8. Facts / a. Facts
There are probably ineffable facts, systematically hidden from us [Hofweber]
     Full Idea: We do have reason to think that there are ineffable facts, and that these facts are systematically hidden from us.
     From: Thomas Hofweber (Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics [2016], 10.2.4)
     A reaction: [Hofweber's Ch.10 is a lengthy and interesting discussion of ineffable facts] Things which are very very small, or very very remote in space seem obvious candidates. The most obvious candidates are tiny detail about the remote past.