Spring 2016: PHIL 271 - Ten Philosophical Puzzles about Mathematics

[Vicki Brett]

The Department of Philosophy will be offering a special subjects course (PHIL 271) this Spring 2016 covering the topic of "Ten Philosophical Puzzles about Mathematics" which will be instructed by David DeVidi.

This class will introduce students to the Philosophy of Mathematics by considering a range of "philosophical puzzles" about math.  Students will still encounter important philosophical views and disagreements about the nature and value of mathematics, but they will encounter them as responses to specific issues, rather than as views defended directly.  The class will not assume a lot of familiarity with either mathematics or philosophy, so is suitable for students with an interest in either topic.

We will consider questions like: Is mathematics a human creation, or something we discover? (If it's discovered, why do we use proofs instead of, you know, telescopes and stuff?) What is a proof, anyway? (Is it really a proof if it's so long that no human being could ever work through it?)  Are mathematical claims true or false even if we could never know which? What is mathematics for? Is there such a thing as beauty in mathematics? Can two correct mathematical theories disagree?

https://uwaterloo.ca/philosophy/spring-2016-phil-271-special-topics

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Vicki Brett
Undergraduate Coordinator
Philosophy Department - HH 365
200 University Avenue W.
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1
Tel:  519-888-4567  x32449
vbrett at uwaterloo.ca<mailto:vbrett at uwaterloo.ca>






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