Plato Was Not a Mathematical Platonist

by Elaine Landry

This Element shows that Plato keeps a clear distinction between mathematical and metaphysical realism and the knife he uses to slice the difference is method. The philosopher's dialectical method requires that we tether the truth of hypotheses to existing metaphysical objects. The mathematician's hypothetical method, by contrast, takes hypotheses as if they were first principles, so no metaphysical account of their truth is needed. Thus, we come to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1009313789
• ISBN13: 9781009313780
• Release Date: January 2023
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 62 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"