Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Introduction to 'Virtues of Authenticity'', 'Librium de interpretatione editio secunda' and 'Realism, Mathematics and Modality'

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5 ideas

6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 9. Fictional Mathematics

8714	Fictionalists say 2+2=4 is true in the way that 'Oliver Twist lived in London' is true [Field,H]
	Full Idea: The fictionalist can say that the sense in which '2+2=4' is true is pretty much the same as the sense in which 'Oliver Twist lived in London' is true. They are true 'according to a well-known story', or 'according to standard mathematics'.
	From: Hartry Field (Realism, Mathematics and Modality [1989], 1.1.1), quoted by Michèle Friend - Introducing the Philosophy of Mathematics 6.3
	A reaction: The roots of this idea are in Carnap. Fictionalism strikes me as brilliant, but poisonous in large doses. Novels can aspire to artistic truth, or to documentary truth. We invent a fiction, and nudge it slowly towards reality.

8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 6. Platonic Forms / a. Platonic Forms

17945	Forms are not a theory of universals, but an attempt to explain how predication is possible [Nehamas]
	Full Idea: The theory of Forms is not a theory of universals but a first attempt to explain how predication, the application of a single term to many objects - now considered one of the most elementary operations of language - is possible.
	From: Alexander Nehamas (Introduction to 'Virtues of Authenticity' [1999], p.xxvii)

8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 6. Platonic Forms / b. Partaking

17946	Only Tallness really is tall, and other inferior tall things merely participate in the tallness [Nehamas]
	Full Idea: Only Tallness and nothing else really is tall; everything else merely participates in the Forms and, being excluded from the realm of Being, belongs to the inferior world of Becoming.
	From: Alexander Nehamas (Introduction to 'Virtues of Authenticity' [1999], p.xxviii)
	A reaction: This is just as weird as the normal view (and puzzle of participation), but at least it makes more sense of 'metachein' (partaking).

9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / d. Individuation by haecceity

14665	We can call the quality of Plato 'Platonity', and say it is a quality which only he possesses [Boethius]
	Full Idea: Let the incommunicable property of Plato be called 'Platonity'. For we can call this quality 'Platonity' by a fabricated word, in the way in which we call the quality of man 'humanity'. Therefore this Platonity is one man's alone - Plato's.
	From: Boethius (Librium de interpretatione editio secunda [c.516], PL64 462d), quoted by Alvin Plantinga - Actualism and Possible Worlds 5
	A reaction: Plantinga uses this idea to reinstate the old notion of a haecceity, to bestow unshakable identity on things. My interest in the quotation is that the most shocking confusions about properties arose long before the invention of set theory.

11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 2. Understanding

17944	'Episteme' is better translated as 'understanding' than as 'knowledge' [Nehamas]
	Full Idea: The Greek 'episteme' is usually translated as 'knowledge' but, I argue, closer to our notion of understanding.
	From: Alexander Nehamas (Introduction to 'Virtues of Authenticity' [1999], p.xvi)
	A reaction: He agrees with Julia Annas on this. I take it to be crucial. See the first sentence of Aristotle's 'Metaphysics'. It is explanation which leads to understanding.