23 ideas
21699 | Russell offered a paraphrase of definite description, to avoid the commitment to objects [Quine] |
8729 | Intuitionists deny excluded middle, because it is committed to transcendent truth or objects [Shapiro] |
8763 | The number 3 is presumably identical as a natural, an integer, a rational, a real, and complex [Shapiro] |
18249 | Cauchy gave a formal definition of a converging sequence. [Shapiro] |
8764 | Categories are the best foundation for mathematics [Shapiro] |
8762 | Two definitions of 3 in terms of sets disagree over whether 1 is a member of 3 [Shapiro] |
8760 | Numbers do not exist independently; the essence of a number is its relations to other numbers [Shapiro] |
8761 | A 'system' is related objects; a 'pattern' or 'structure' abstracts the pure relations from them [Shapiro] |
8744 | Logicism seems to be a non-starter if (as is widely held) logic has no ontology of its own [Shapiro] |
8749 | Term Formalism says mathematics is just about symbols - but real numbers have no names [Shapiro] |
8750 | Game Formalism is just a matter of rules, like chess - but then why is it useful in science? [Shapiro] |
8752 | Deductivism says mathematics is logical consequences of uninterpreted axioms [Shapiro] |
8753 | Critics resent the way intuitionism cripples mathematics, but it allows new important distinctions [Shapiro] |
8731 | Conceptualist are just realists or idealist or nominalists, depending on their view of concepts [Shapiro] |
8730 | 'Impredicative' definitions refer to the thing being described [Shapiro] |
8725 | Rationalism tries to apply mathematical methodology to all of knowledge [Shapiro] |
21700 | Taking sentences as the unit of meaning makes useful paraphrasing possible [Quine] |
21701 | Knowing a word is knowing the meanings of sentences which contain it [Quine] |
22252 | Capitalism may actually be the best way to foster community [Conway,D] |
22253 | Capitalism is just the market, with optional limited government, and perhaps democracy [Conway,D] |
22255 | Capitalism breaks up extended families, and must then provide welfare for the lonely people [Conway,D] |
22256 | Capitalism prefers representative democracy, which avoids community decision-making [Conway,D] |
22257 | Capitalism is anti-community, by only valuing individuals, and breaking up families [Conway,D] |