Overview

Is mathematics a highly sophisticated intellectual game in which the adepts display their skill by tackling invented problems, or are mathematicians engaged in acts of discovery as they explore an independent realm of mathematical reality? Why does this seemingly abstract discipline provide the key to unlocking the deep secrets of the physical universe? How one answers these questions will significantly influence metaphysical thinking about reality. This book is intended to fill a gap between popular 'wonders of mathematics' books and the technical writings of the philosophers of mathematics. The chapters are written by some of the world's finest mathematicians, mathematical physicists and philosophers of mathematics, each giving their perspective on this fascinating debate. Every chapter is followed by a short response from another member of the author team, reinforcing the main theme and raising further questions.Accessible to anyone interested in what mathematics really means, and useful for mathematicians and philosophers of science at all levels, Meaning in Mathematics offers deep new insights into a subject many people take for granted.

Full Product Details

Author:   John Polkinghorne
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.00cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 23.70cm
Weight:   0.401kg
ISBN:  

9780199605057

ISBN 10:   019960505
Pages:   172
Publication Date:   19 May 2011
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

John Polkinghorne: Introduction 1: Timothy Gowers: Is Mathematics Discovered or Invented? 2: Marcus du Sautoy: Exploring the Mathematical Library of Babel 3: John Polkinghorne: Mathematical Reality 4: Roger Penrose: Mathematics, the Mind, and the Physical World 5: Peter Lipton: Mathematical Understanding 6: Mary Leng: Creation and Discovery in Mathematics 7: Michael Detlefsen: Discovery, Invention and Realism: Gödel and others on the Reality of Concepts 8: Stewart Shapiro: Mathematics and Objectivity 9: Gideon Rosen: The Reality of Mathematical Objects 10: Mark Steiner: Getting More out of Mathematics than What We Put In Index

Reviews

Lipton's posthumously published essay... presents a thoughtful comparison of mathematical explanation and understanding with models of scientific explanation. -- Michael Liston, Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI

Lipton's posthumously published essay... presents a thoughtful comparison of mathematical explanation and understanding with models of scientific explanation. -- Michael Liston, Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI

<br> Lipton's posthumously published essay... presents a thoughtful comparison of mathematical explanation and understanding with models of scientific explanation. <br>-- Michael Liston, Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI <br><p><br>

Author Information

Reverend Dr John Polkinghorne gained his PhD in physics at Cambridge University in 1955. After a brief period as Lecturer in Mathematical Physics at Edinburgh University, he returned to Cambridge until, in 1979, he resigned his Professorship to train for the Anglican Priesthood. He served as Dean and Chaplin of Trinity Hall and then President of Queen's College, Cambridge until his retirement in 1996. In 1997 Polkinghorne was awarded a KBE and in 2002 he won the Templeton Prize for Science and Religion. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society and his professional service has included membership of the Nuclear Physics Board and the BMA Medical Ethics Committee. He is a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion and has been made an Honorary Doctor of Divinity by the University of Kent and Durham University, and an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Exeter, the University of Leicester and the Marquette University.

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