On Friday, June 21, 2019 at 6:22:06 AM UTC-5, Bruno Marchal wrote: > > > On 20 Jun 2019, at 19:42, Philip Thrift <[email protected] <javascript:>> > wrote: > > > > On Thursday, June 20, 2019 at 12:32:20 PM UTC-5, Philip Thrift wrote: >> >> >> >> On Thursday, June 20, 2019 at 10:28:14 AM UTC-5, Bruno Marchal wrote: >>> >>> >>> On 20 Jun 2019, at 12:52, Philip Thrift <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> *Logic is mere heuristics.* >>> >>> >>> I don’t understand this. >>> >>> Logic is a branch of mathematics, which can be used correctly or >>> incorrectly, like all branches of mathematics. >>> >>> In that branche, we study many different sorts of logics, like in >>> Algebra we study many different sorts of algebraic systems. >>> >>> >>> It is not Holy Writ the LORD God wrote into Stone Tablets. >>> >>> >>> >>> Of course. Especially that there are a lot of Logics. But in computer >>> science and in math we use classical logic, not because it would be more >>> true, but because it is simpler, even to explain the non classical logics, >>> that we might need in some domain. >>> >>> >>> Bruno >>> >>> >>> >> >> *Logic is a branch of mathematics* [correct], and mathematics is a genre >> of fiction. >> >> @philipthrift >> > > > > > Isn't it odd [back to the Topic] that some think that the Bible and Qur'an > are (texts in a genre of) fiction, but mathematical texts are not? > > > The bible suggests that PI is equal to 3. > > Measurement, or calculation suggests that PI is bigger than 3. Reflexion > and reasoning explains that PI is not rational, nor algebraical, etc. > > I understand that mathematics is concerned with immaterial things. Calling > them fiction a priori beg the question of the Aristotelian/platonic divide. > Fiction usually refer to false, and so might be abusive in this context. > > Bruno > > > It seems like a funny term to apply. Hartry Field [1] introduced it as a "philosophy of mathematics", and Mark Balaguer [2] gave it prominence in a book and the SEP.
*Fictionalism* is the most pragmatic alternative to *Platonism* (as Balaguer argues). One can be a constructivist or formalist in some way, but fictionalism leaves all of mathematics intact, except for its semantics. [1] https://as.nyu.edu/content/nyu-as/as/faculty/hartry-field.html [2] http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/mark-balaguer @philipthrift -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/882ae719-b41c-423f-8492-f0b16fbaca79%40googlegroups.com.
