Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Thinking About Mathematics', 'Philosophy and Scientific Image of Man' and 'Ecce Homo'

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25 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 1. Philosophy
A warlike philosopher challenges problems to single combat [Nietzsche]
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / c. Philosophy as generalisation
Philosophy aims to understand how things (broadly understood) hang together (broadly understood) [Sellars]
5. Theory of Logic / D. Assumptions for Logic / 2. Excluded Middle
Intuitionists deny excluded middle, because it is committed to transcendent truth or objects [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / b. Types of number
The number 3 is presumably identical as a natural, an integer, a rational, a real, and complex [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / h. Reals from Cauchy
Cauchy gave a formal definition of a converging sequence. [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 1. Foundations for Mathematics
Categories are the best foundation for mathematics [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 5. Definitions of Number / f. Zermelo numbers
Two definitions of 3 in terms of sets disagree over whether 1 is a member of 3 [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 7. Mathematical Structuralism / a. Structuralism
Numbers do not exist independently; the essence of a number is its relations to other numbers [Shapiro]
A 'system' is related objects; a 'pattern' or 'structure' abstracts the pure relations from them [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 6. Logicism / d. Logicism critique
Logicism seems to be a non-starter if (as is widely held) logic has no ontology of its own [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 7. Formalism
Term Formalism says mathematics is just about symbols - but real numbers have no names [Shapiro]
Game Formalism is just a matter of rules, like chess - but then why is it useful in science? [Shapiro]
Deductivism says mathematics is logical consequences of uninterpreted axioms [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 10. Constructivism / b. Intuitionism
Critics resent the way intuitionism cripples mathematics, but it allows new important distinctions [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 10. Constructivism / c. Conceptualism
Conceptualist are just realists or idealist or nominalists, depending on their view of concepts [Shapiro]
6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 10. Constructivism / d. Predicativism
'Impredicative' definitions refer to the thing being described [Shapiro]
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 2. Reduction
Reduction requires that an object's properties consist of its constituents' properties and relations [Sellars]
12. Knowledge Sources / C. Rationalism / 1. Rationalism
Rationalism tries to apply mathematical methodology to all of knowledge [Shapiro]
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / i. Self-interest
The distinction between egoistic and non-egoistic acts is absurd [Nietzsche]
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / i. Moral luck
A bad result distorts one's judgement about the virtue of what one has done [Nietzsche]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / f. Compassion
The overcoming of pity I count among the noble virtues [Nietzsche]
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 6. Authentic Self
To become what you are you must have no self-awareness [Nietzsche]
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 8. Eternal Recurrence
Eternal recurrence is the highest attainable affirmation [Nietzsche]
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / c. Teaching
One repays a teacher badly if one remains only a pupil [Nietzsche]
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 5. Atheism
I am not an atheist because of reasoning or evidence, but because of instinct [Nietzsche]