Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Phil of Mathematics: why nothing works' and 'Truth-making without Truth-makers'

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3 ideas

6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 1. Mathematical Platonism / b. Against mathematical platonism

3663	How can you contemplate Platonic entities without causal transactions with them? [Putnam]
	Full Idea: Platonism has the attendant problem of how we can succeed in thinking about and referring to entities we can have no causal transactions with.
	From: Hilary Putnam (Phil of Mathematics: why nothing works [1979], Modalism)

13. Knowledge Criteria / E. Relativism / 2. Knowledge as Convention

1556	By nature people are close to one another, but culture drives them apart [Hippias]
	Full Idea: I regard you all as relatives - by nature, not by convention. By nature like is akin to like, but convention is a tyrant over humankind and often constrains people to act contrary to nature.
	From: Hippias (fragments/reports [c.430 BCE]), quoted by Plato - Protagoras 337c8

14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / a. Types of explanation

17319	There are 'conceptual' explanations, with their direction depending on complexity [Schnieder]
	Full Idea: The direction of conceptual explanations seems to be owed to factors of conceptual complexity and primitiveness.
	From: Benjamin Schnieder (Truth-making without Truth-makers [2006], p.33), quoted by David Liggins - Truth-makers and dependence 10.2
	A reaction: Schnieder proposes that there are just 'causal' and 'conceptual' explanations. Liggins objects that there are other types of dependence which offer explanations.