Mathematics and Metaphysics

Nominalism in the Philosophy of Mathematics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

objects | mathematics, philosophy of | mathematics, philosophy of: indispensabilityarguments in the | mathematics, philosophy of: Platonism | nominalism: in metaphysics |ontological commitment | Platonism: in metaphysics | plural quantification | Quine, Willardvan Orman

The Influence of Ibn Sìnå on Gadr ad-Dìn Qinawì and His Followers

This article is an investigation into the nature of the Sufi metaphysics of Gadr ad-Dìn Qinawì and his followers. In contrast to previous scholars, who have considered Qinawì to be dismissive of philosophy in a way similar to Ghazålì, the author shows that in fact philosophical metaphysics, and in particular the formulations of Ibn Sìnå, had a great impact on Qinawì and his followers in the sch...

The Fiber Bundle at the Gates of Metaphysics. Challenging Maudlin’s Proposal

In a recent book (The Metaphysics within Physics), Tim Maudlin reconstructs metaphysics by taking inspiration from the gauge theories interpreted in the fiber bundle framework. I call his project the “fiber bundle metaphysics”. Primarily targeted not to Humean Supervenience, but to any metaphysics employing the relation of resemblance among objects (D. Lewis, D. Armstrong), Maudlin’s project is...

Overcoming of Metaphysics: Heidegger's Interpretation of Kant's Thought and the Problem of Metaphysics

Intertwining metaphysics and mathematics: the development of Georg Cantor’s set theory 1871-1887

This article discusses Georg Cantor’s philosophical defence of the existence of actual infinities in mathematics. The metaphysical background to Cantor’s argument is documented, emphasizing the philosophical references in Cantor’s main work, Grundlagen (1883). Cantor’s engagement with the history of philosophy, particularly the writings of Spinoza and Leibniz on infinity, is also documented. Fi...