Wittgenstein and surprise in mathematics

One of the psychologically strongest motivations for mathematical platonism is the existence of surprises in mathematics. Time and again results have turned up which went contrary to the expectations of even the best qualified. Wittgenstein was always an anti-platonist, so for him there could be no...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Simons, Peter
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC)
Repositorio:Argumentos : Revista de Filosofia (Online)
Idioma:portugués
OAI Identifier:oai:periodicos.ufc:article/19089
Acceso en línea:http://periodicos.ufc.br/argumentos/article/view/19089
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Wittgenstein. Matemática. Platonismo. Surpresa.
Wittgenstein. Mathematics. Platonism. Surprise.
Descripción
Sumario:One of the psychologically strongest motivations for mathematical platonism is the existence of surprises in mathematics. Time and again results have turned up which went contrary to the expectations of even the best qualified. Wittgenstein was always an anti-platonist, so for him there could be no surprising discoveries about mathematical objects as there can be about animals in the Amazon basin or chemicals on Titan. Given the later Wittgenstein’s algorithmic conception of mathematics, it might appear that for him the only legitimate notion of surprise in mathematics must be merely psychological. In this paper I examine whether a less subjective conception is compatible with his position in the philosophy of mathematics.