The Metaphysics and Mathematics of Arbitrary Objects

Horsten, Leon

ISBN 10: 110703941X / ISBN 13: 9781107039414

Verlag: Cambridge Univ Pr, 2019

Beschreibung

231 pages. 9.75x7.00x0.75 inches. In Stock. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers __110703941X

Bibliografische Details

Titel: The Metaphysics and Mathematics of Arbitrary...

Verlag: Cambridge Univ Pr

Erscheinungsdatum: 2019

Einband: Hardcover

Zustand: Brand New

Über diesen Titel

Inhaltsangabe:

This book develops a new theory of arbitrary entities and connects it to issues and debates in metaphysics and contemporary philosophy of mathematics. It investigates the relation between particular and arbitrary objects, and between particular and arbitrary systems of objects. These concepts are then applied to problems in philosophy of mathematics.

Reseña del editor:

Building on the seminal work of Kit Fine in the 1980s, Leon Horsten here develops a new theory of arbitrary entities. He connects this theory to issues and debates in metaphysics, logic, and contemporary philosophy of mathematics, investigating the relation between specific and arbitrary objects and between specific and arbitrary systems of objects. His book shows how this innovative theory is highly applicable to problems in the philosophy of arithmetic, and explores in particular how arbitrary objects can engage with the nineteenth-century concept of variable mathematical quantities, how they are relevant for debates around mathematical structuralism, and how they can help our understanding of the concept of random variables in statistics. This fully worked through theory will open up new avenues within philosophy of mathematics, bringing in the work of other philosophers such as Saul Kripke, and providing new insights into the development of the foundations of mathematics from the eighteenth century to the present day.