Liberal Arts in Russia EN-rus logo
russian flagRussian
ISSN 2305-8420 (Print)
ISSN 2312-6442 (Online)
Current Issue

Arguments and elements of realistic interpretation of mathematics: arithmetical component

Liberal Arts in Russia. 2015. Vol. 4. No. 3. Pp. 198-204.
Get the full text (English)
Arepiev E. I.
Kursk State University
33 Radishchev St., 305000 Kursk, Russia
Email: arepiev@yandex.ru
Moroz V. V.
Kursk State University
33 Radishchev St., 305000 Kursk, Russia

Abstract

The prospects for realistic interpretation of the nature of initial mathematical truths and objects are considered in the article. The arguments of realism, reasons impeding its recognition among philosophers of mathematics as well as the ways to eliminate these reasons are discussed. It is proven that the absence of acceptable ontological interpretation of mathematical realism is the main obstacle to its recognition. This paper explicates the introductory positions of this interpretation and presents a realistic interpretation of the arithmetical component of mathematics. In summary, we should like to note that such constructions, as it is shown to us, ought to bring the direct use not only for the philosophical foundation of mathematics but for mathematics itself. In the justification of the author's conclusions based on the works of famous mathematicians of the twentieth century, interpreting their findings in a broad historical and philosophical context. To illustrate his point, the author gives examples of arithmetic and geometry - both Euclidean and non-Euclidean.

Keywords

  • • implicit knowledge
  • • mathematical knowledge
  • • empiricism
  • • mathematical realism
  • • ontological and epistemological status of mathematical areas
  • • interpretation of zero
  • • natural numbers
  • • non-Euclidean geometry

References

  1. Tselishchev V. V. Philosofija matematiki [Philosophy of Mathematics, in Russian]. Part 1. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 2002.
  2. Dummett M. The interpretation of Frege’s philosophy. London, 1981.
  3. Wigner E. P. Communications on pure and applied mathematics. 1960. Vol. 13. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpa.3160130102
  4. Frege G. Osnovopologeniya arifmetiki: Logiko-matematicheskoe issledovanie o ponyatii chisla [The bases of arithmetic: logical-mathematical study of the concept of number]. Tomsk, 2000.
  5. Russell B. The Principles of Mathematics. 2nd td. London, 1937.