The "Unreasonable" Effectiveness of Mathematics: The Foundational Approach of the Theoretic Alternatives

Revista de Filosofie 62 (1):58-71 (2015)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The attempts of theoretically solving the famous puzzle-dictum of physicist Eugene Wigner regarding the “unreasonable” effectiveness of mathematics as a problem of analytical philosophy, started at the end of the 19th century, are yet far from coming out with an acceptable theoretical solution. The theories developed for explaining the empirical “miracle” of applied mathematics vary in nature, foundation and solution, from denying the existence of a genuine problem to structural theories with an advanced level of mathematical formalism. Despite this variation, methodologically fundamental questions like “Which is the adequate theoretical framework for solving Wigner’s conjecture?” and “Can the logico-mathematical formalism solve it and is it entitled to do it?” did not receive answers yet. The problem of the applicability of mathematics in the physical reality has been treated unitarily in some sense, with respect to the semantic-conceptual use of the constitutive terms, within both the structural and non-structural theories. This unity (of consistency) applied to both the referred objects and concepts per se and the aims of the investigations. For being able to make an objective study of the possible alternatives of the existent theories, a foundational approach of them is needed, including through semantic-conceptual distinctions which to weaken the unity of consistency.

Links

PhilArchive

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Mathematics as an Instigator of Scientific Revolutions.Ricardo Karam - 2015 - Science & Education 24 (5-6):495-513.
The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences.Eugene Wigner - 1960 - Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics 13:1-14.
Towards a Philosophy of Applied Mathematics.Christopher Pincock - 2009 - In Otávio Bueno & Øystein Linnebo (eds.), New Waves in Philosophy of Mathematics. Palgrave-Macmillan.
The Role of Symmetry in Mathematics.Noson S. Yanofsky & Mark Zelcer - 2017 - Foundations of Science 22 (3):495-515.

Analytics

Added to PP
2019-01-23

Downloads
179 (#106,396)

6 months
40 (#93,184)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations