Wittgenstein, Mathematics and World

Description

This book uses Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophical methodology to solve a problem that has perplexed thinkers for thousands of years: 'how come (abstract) mathematics applies so wonderfully well to the (concrete, physical) world?' The book is distinctive in several ways. First, it gives the reader a route into understanding important features of Wittgenstein’s writings and lectures by using his methodology to tackle this long-standing and seemingly intractable philosophical problem. More than this, though, it offers an outline of important (sometimes little-known) aspects of the development of mathematical thought through the ages, and an engagement of Wittgenstein’s philosophy with this and with contemporary philosophy of mathematics on its own terms. A clear overview of all this in the context of Wittgenstein’s philosophy of mathematics is interesting in its own right; it is also just what is needed to solve the problem of mathematics and world. Front Matter ....Pages i-xiii The Problem Posed (Bob Clark)....Pages 1-30 Fictionalism (Bob Clark)....Pages 31-76 Infinity and Concept-Determination (Bob Clark)....Pages 77-120 The Logical Must (Bob Clark)....Pages 121-143 The Problem Solved (Bob Clark)....Pages 145-179 Back Matter ....Pages 181-215