40 ideas
| 12124 | Metaphysics is the best knowledge, because it is the simplest [Bacon] |
| 12123 | Natural history supports physical knowledge, which supports metaphysical knowledge [Bacon] |
| 12119 | Physics studies transitory matter; metaphysics what is abstracted and necessary [Bacon] |
| 12120 | Physics is of material and efficient causes, metaphysics of formal and final causes [Bacon] |
| 18194 | 'Forcing' can produce new models of ZFC from old models [Maddy] |
| 18195 | A Large Cardinal Axiom would assert ever-increasing stages in the hierarchy [Maddy] |
| 18191 | Axiom of Infinity: completed infinite collections can be treated mathematically [Maddy] |
| 18193 | The Axiom of Foundation says every set exists at a level in the set hierarchy [Maddy] |
| 18169 | Axiom of Reducibility: propositional functions are extensionally predicative [Maddy] |
| 18168 | 'Propositional functions' are propositions with a variable as subject or predicate [Maddy] |
| 18171 | Cantor and Dedekind brought completed infinities into mathematics [Maddy] |
| 18190 | Completed infinities resulted from giving foundations to calculus [Maddy] |
| 18175 | For any cardinal there is always a larger one (so there is no set of all sets) [Maddy] |
| 18196 | An 'inaccessible' cardinal cannot be reached by union sets or power sets [Maddy] |
| 18172 | Infinity has degrees, and large cardinals are the heart of set theory [Maddy] |
| 18187 | Theorems about limits could only be proved once the real numbers were understood [Maddy] |
| 18182 | The extension of concepts is not important to me [Maddy] |
| 18177 | In the ZFC hierarchy it is impossible to form Frege's set of all three-element sets [Maddy] |
| 18164 | Frege solves the Caesar problem by explicitly defining each number [Maddy] |
| 18163 | Mathematics rests on the logic of proofs, and on the set theoretic axioms [Maddy] |
| 18185 | Unified set theory gives a final court of appeal for mathematics [Maddy] |
| 18183 | Set theory brings mathematics into one arena, where interrelations become clearer [Maddy] |
| 18186 | Identifying geometric points with real numbers revealed the power of set theory [Maddy] |
| 18184 | Making set theory foundational to mathematics leads to very fruitful axioms [Maddy] |
| 18188 | The line of rationals has gaps, but set theory provided an ordered continuum [Maddy] |
| 18204 | Scientists posit as few entities as possible, but set theorist posit as many as possible [Maddy] |
| 18207 | Maybe applications of continuum mathematics are all idealisations [Maddy] |
| 18167 | We can get arithmetic directly from HP; Law V was used to get HP from the definition of number [Maddy] |
| 18205 | The theoretical indispensability of atoms did not at first convince scientists that they were real [Maddy] |
| 12121 | We don't assume there is no land, because we can only see sea [Bacon] |
| 12117 | Science moves up and down between inventions of causes, and experiments [Bacon] |
| 12127 | Many different theories will fit the observed facts [Bacon] |
| 12126 | People love (unfortunately) extreme generality, rather than particular knowledge [Bacon] |
| 18206 | Science idealises the earth's surface, the oceans, continuities, and liquids [Maddy] |
| 12125 | Teleological accounts are fine in metaphysics, but they stop us from searching for the causes [Bacon] |
| 12118 | Essences are part of first philosophy, but as part of nature, not part of logic [Bacon] |
| 17402 | Mendeleev saw three principles in nature: matter, force and spirit (where the latter seems to be essence) [Mendeleev, by Scerri] |
| 17399 | Elements don't survive in compounds, but the 'substance' of the element does [Mendeleev] |
| 17400 | Mendeleev focused on abstract elements, not simple substances, so he got to their essence [Mendeleev, by Scerri] |
| 17401 | Mendeleev had a view of elements which allowed him to overlook some conflicting observations [Mendeleev] |