Description of Mathematics. Description in Mathematics. Mathematics as a Way of Describing

• Autorzy: Andrzej Pelczar
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The question whether mathematicians discover or invent has been in consideration for a long time - "since forever". It seems that most mathematicians would favor the former, but it is hard to judge if that feeling has a quantitative basis. The author of this text dares to state his own, highly subjective, opinions. He would like to avoid statements such as: "it is so", because, in fact, he usually does not know if "it is so". However, he does not avoid sharing with the reader his own feelings and quite often elaborates on what seems to him to be true. He counts on the reader's politeness to forgive him the lack of philosophical accuracy in numerous statements as well as the negligence in citing the vast literature on the subject, and - here deliberate - informality in mathematical considerations. It seems that the idea behind this exposition can be presented without much rigor. (fragment of text)

Słowa kluczowe

EN

Mathematics

PL

Matematyka

• Czasopismo: Annales Mathematicae Silesianae
• Rocznik: 2012
• Tom: 26
• Strony: 7--23

Twórcy

autor

Andrzej Pelczar

• Jagiellonian University, Poland

Bibliografia

• Davies E.B.,Some recent articles about Platonism, Newsletter of EMS 72 (2009), no. 6,24-27.
• Davis P.J., Why I am a (moderate) social Constructivist, Newsletter of EMS 70 (2008),no. 12, 30-31.
• Grzegorczyk A., Zarys arytmetyki teoretycznej (Outline of theoretical arithmetic), Biblioteka Matematyczna, vol. 39, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warsaw, 1971 (in Polish).
• Hammond A.L., Mathematics - our invisible culture, in: Mathematics Today: Twelve Informal Essays, ed. by Steen L.A., Springer-Verlag, New York-Berlin, 1979, pp. 15-35.
• Hersh R., On Platonism, Newsletter of EMS 68 (2008), no. 6, 17-18.
• Mumford D., Why I am a Platonist, Newsletter of EMS 70 (2008), no. 12, 27-30.
• Mazur B., Mathematical Platonism and its opposites, Newsletter of EMS 68 (2008), no.6, 19-21.