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Essential Tension: Mathematics - Physics - Philosophy

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Abstract

The author focuses on the tension "realism - idealism" in the philosophy of mathematics, but he does that from the perspective of a theoretical physicist. It is not only that one's standpoint in the philosophy of mathematics determines our understanding of the effectiveness of mathematics in physics, but also the fact that mathematics is so effective in physical sciences tells us something about the nature of mathematics.

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References

  • Duhem, P. (1982), The Aim and Structure of Physical Theory, English translation by Ph. P. Wiener, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

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  • Quine, W. (1953), ‘Two Dogmas of Empiricism’, reprinted in: From a Logical Point of View, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Univ. Press.

  • Whitehead, A. N. (1975), Science and the Modern World, Glasgow: Collins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vatican Observatory, V-00120, Vatican City State

    Michael Heller

Authors
  1. Michael Heller
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Heller, M. Essential Tension: Mathematics - Physics - Philosophy. Foundations of Science 2, 39–52 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009662824483

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009662824483

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