Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Mathematics

A presentation of Wittgenstein's corpus of remarks on mathematics defending 'aspect realism' and making connections with Gödel and Turing.

Juliet Floyd (Author)

9781108456302, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 12 August 2021

75 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.5 cm, 0.141 kg

'Brimming with ideas from, and analyses of, Wittgenstein's philosophy of mathematics, the book contains both material of interest for those new to the topic, as well as often subtle and novel interpretations aimed at experts … A rich and sophisticated take on an intricate topic, Floyd's book is to be warmly recommended to all those eager to deepen their understanding of Wittgenstein's philosophy of mathematics.' Sorin Bangu, Philosophia Mathematica

For Wittgenstein mathematics is a human activity characterizing ways of seeing conceptual possibilities and empirical situations, proof and logical methods central to its progress. Sentences exhibit differing 'aspects', or dimensions of meaning, projecting mathematical 'realities'. Mathematics is an activity of constructing standpoints on equalities and differences of these. Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy of Mathematics (1934–1951) grew from his Early (1912–1921) and Middle (1929–33) philosophies, a dialectical path reconstructed here partly as a response to the limitative results of Gödel and Turing.

1. Introduction
2. Early Philosophy: Absolute Simplicity
3. Middle Philosophy (1929–1933): Relative Simplicity
4. Later Philosophy: Fluid Simplicity (1937–1951).

Subject Areas: Philosophy of science [PDA], Philosophy of mathematics [PBB], Mathematics [PB], Mathematics & science [P], Philosophy [HP]