Michèle Friend

Pluralism in Mathematics: a New Position in Philosophy of Mathematics (Logic, Epistemology, and the Unity of Science) Michèle Friend 2014 edition

This book is about philosophy, mathematics and logic, giving a philosophical account of Pluralism which is a family of positions in the philosophy of mathematics. There are four parts to this book, beginning with a look at motivations for Pluralism by way of Realism, Maddy?s Naturalism, Shapiro?s Structuralism and Formalism.

In the second part of this book the author covers: the philosophical presentation of Pluralism; using a formal theory of logic metaphorically; rigour and proof for the Pluralist; and mathematical fixtures. In the third part the author goes on to focus on the transcendental presentation of Pluralism, and in part four looks at applications of Pluralism, such as a Pluralist approach to proof in mathematics and how Pluralism works in regard to together-inconsistent philosophies of mathematics. The book finishes with suggestions for further Pluralist enquiry.

In this work the author takes a deeply radical approach in developing a new position that will either convert readers, or act as a strong warning to treat the word ?pluralism? with care.