Epistemological Challenges to Mathematical Platonism

✍ Scribed by Øystein Linnebo

• Book ID: 106495315
• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 223 KB
• Volume: 129
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0031-8116
• DOI: 10.1007/s11098-004-3388-1

✦ Synopsis

Since Benacerraf 's ''Mathematical Truth'' a number of epistemological challenges have been launched against mathematical platonism. I first argue that these challenges fail because they unduely assimilate mathematics to empirical science. Then I develop an improved challenge which is immune to this criticism. Very roughly, what I demand is an account of how people's mathematical beliefs are responsive to the truth of these beliefs. Finally I argue that if we employ a semantic truth-predicate rather than just a deflationary one, there surprisingly turns out to be logical space for a response to the improved challenge where no such space appeared to exist.