A Structural Account Of Mathematics

Author : Charles S. Chihara
Publisher : Clarendon Press
ISBN 13 : 0191533106
Total Pages : 395 pages
Book Rating : 4.05/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Structural Account of Mathematics written by Charles S. Chihara and published by Clarendon Press. This book was released on 2003-11-20 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles Chihara's new book develops and defends a structural view of the nature of mathematics, and uses it to explain a number of striking features of mathematics that have puzzled philosophers for centuries. The view is used to show that, in order to understand how mathematical systems are applied in science and everyday life, it is not necessary to assume that its theorems either presuppose mathematical objects or are even true. Chihara builds upon his previous work, in which he presented a new system of mathematics, the constructibility theory, which did not make reference to, or presuppose, mathematical objects. Now he develops the project further by analysing mathematical systems currently used by scientists to show how such systems are compatible with this nominalistic outlook. He advances several new ways of undermining the heavily discussed indispensability argument for the existence of mathematical objects made famous by Willard Quine and Hilary Putnam. And Chihara presents a rationale for the nominalistic outlook that is quite different from those generally put forward, which he maintains have led to serious misunderstandings. A Structural Account of Mathematics will be required reading for anyone working in this field.

Author : Geoffrey Hellman
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 110863074X
Total Pages : 167 pages
Book Rating : 4.40/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Mathematical Structuralism written by Geoffrey Hellman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-11-29 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present work is a systematic study of five frameworks or perspectives articulating mathematical structuralism, whose core idea is that mathematics is concerned primarily with interrelations in abstraction from the nature of objects. The first two, set-theoretic and category-theoretic, arose within mathematics itself. After exposing a number of problems, the Element considers three further perspectives formulated by logicians and philosophers of mathematics: sui generis, treating structures as abstract universals, modal, eliminating structures as objects in favor of freely entertained logical possibilities, and finally, modal-set-theoretic, a sort of synthesis of the set-theoretic and modal perspectives.

Author : Charles S. Chihara
Publisher : Clarendon Press
ISBN 13 : 0199267537
Total Pages : 395 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Structural Account of Mathematics written by Charles S. Chihara and published by Clarendon Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles Chihara's new book develops and defends a structural view of the nature of mathematics, and uses it to explain a number of striking features of mathematics that have puzzled philosophers for centuries. The view is used to show that, in order to understand how mathematical systems areapplied in science and everyday life, it is not necessary to assume that its theorems either presuppose mathematical objects or are even true.Chihara builds upon his previous work, in which he presented a new system of mathematics, the constructibility theory, which did not make reference to, or presuppose, mathematical objects. Now he develops the project further by analysing mathematical systems currently used by scientists to show howsuch systems are compatible with this nominalistic outlook. He advances several new ways of undermining the heavily discussed indispensability argument for the existence of mathematical objects made famous by Willard Quine and Hilary Putnam. And Chihara presents a rationale for the nominalisticoutlook that is quite different from those generally put forward, which he maintains have led to serious misunderstandings.A Structural Account of Mathematics will be required reading for anyone working in this field.

Author : Stewart Shapiro
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190282525
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.23/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Philosophy of Mathematics written by Stewart Shapiro and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1997-08-07 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do numbers, sets, and so forth, exist? What do mathematical statements mean? Are they literally true or false, or do they lack truth values altogether? Addressing questions that have attracted lively debate in recent years, Stewart Shapiro contends that standard realist and antirealist accounts of mathematics are both problematic. As Benacerraf first noted, we are confronted with the following powerful dilemma. The desired continuity between mathematical and, say, scientific language suggests realism, but realism in this context suggests seemingly intractable epistemic problems. As a way out of this dilemma, Shapiro articulates a structuralist approach. On this view, the subject matter of arithmetic, for example, is not a fixed domain of numbers independent of each other, but rather is the natural number structure, the pattern common to any system of objects that has an initial object and successor relation satisfying the induction principle. Using this framework, realism in mathematics can be preserved without troublesome epistemic consequences. Shapiro concludes by showing how a structuralist approach can be applied to wider philosophical questions such as the nature of an "object" and the Quinean nature of ontological commitment. Clear, compelling, and tautly argued, Shapiro's work, noteworthy both in its attempt to develop a full-length structuralist approach to mathematics and to trace its emergence in the history of mathematics, will be of deep interest to both philosophers and mathematicians.

Author : Valter Moretti
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3030183467
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.62/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fundamental Mathematical Structures of Quantum Theory written by Valter Moretti and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-06-20 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook presents in a concise and self-contained way the advanced fundamental mathematical structures in quantum theory. It is based on lectures prepared for a 6 months course for MSc students. The reader is introduced to the beautiful interconnection between logic, lattice theory, general probability theory, and general spectral theory including the basic theory of von Neumann algebras and of the algebraic formulation, naturally arising in the study of the mathematical machinery of quantum theories. Some general results concerning hidden-variable interpretations of QM such as Gleason's and the Kochen-Specker theorems and the related notions of realism and non-contextuality are carefully discussed. This is done also in relation with the famous Bell (BCHSH) inequality concerning local causality. Written in a didactic style, this book includes many examples and solved exercises. The work is organized as follows. Chapter 1 reviews some elementary facts and properties of quantum systems. Chapter 2 and 3 present the main results of spectral analysis in complex Hilbert spaces. Chapter 4 introduces the point of view of the orthomodular lattices' theory. Quantum theory form this perspective turns out to the probability measure theory on the non-Boolean lattice of elementary observables and Gleason's theorem characterizes all these measures. Chapter 5 deals with some philosophical and interpretative aspects of quantum theory like hidden-variable formulations of QM. The Kochen-Specker theorem and its implications are analyzed also in relation BCHSH inequality, entanglement, realism, locality, and non-contextuality. Chapter 6 focuses on the algebra of observables also in the presence of superselection rules introducing the notion of von Neumann algebra. Chapter 7 offers the idea of (groups of) quantum symmetry, in particular, illustrated in terms of Wigner and Kadison theorems. Chapter 8 deals with the elementary ideas and results of the so called algebraic formulation of quantum theories in terms of both *-algebras and C*-algebras. This book should appeal to a dual readership: on one hand mathematicians that wish to acquire the tools that unlock the physical aspects of quantum theories; on the other physicists eager to solidify their understanding of the mathematical scaffolding of quantum theories.

Author : Alberto Peruzzi
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030518213
Total Pages : 191 pages
Book Rating : 4.19/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Structures Mères: Semantics, Mathematics, and Cognitive Science written by Alberto Peruzzi and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-09-14 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reports on cutting-edge concepts related to Bourbaki’s notion of structures mères. It merges perspectives from logic, philosophy, linguistics and cognitive science, suggesting how they can be combined with Bourbaki’s mathematical structuralism in order to solve foundational, ontological and epistemological problems using a novel category-theoretic approach. By offering a comprehensive account of Bourbaki’s structuralism and answers to several important questions that have arisen in connection with it, the book provides readers with a unique source of information and inspiration for future research on this topic.

Author : Charles Earl Rickart
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 9789810218607
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.05/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Structuralism and Structures written by Charles Earl Rickart and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 1995 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is devoted to an analysis of the way that structures must enter into a serious study of any subject, and the term ?structuralism? refers to the general method of approaching a subject from the viewpoint of structure. A proper appreciation of this approach requires a deeper understanding of the concept of structure than is provided by the simple intuitive notion of structures that everyone posseses to some degree. Therefore, a large part of the discussion is devoted directly or indirectly to a study of the nature of structures themselves. A formal definition of a structure, plus some basic general properties and examples, is given early in the discussion. Also, in order to clarify the general notions and to see how they are used, the later chapters are devoted to an examination of how structures enter into some special fields, including linguistics, mental phenomena, mathematics (and its applications), and biology (especially in the theory of evolution). Because the author is a mathematician, certain mathematical ideas have influenced greatly the choice and approach to the material covered. In general, however, the mathematical influence is not on a technical level and is often only implicit. Even the chapter on mathematical structures is nontechnical and is about rather than on mathematics. Only in the last chapter and earlier in three short sections does one find any of the expected ?formal? mathematics. In other words, the great bulk of the material is accessible to someone without a mathematical background.

Author : Larry Gerstein
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1468467085
Total Pages : 355 pages
Book Rating : 4.86/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Introduction · to Mathematical Structures and · Proofs written by Larry Gerstein and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-21 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a textbook for a one-term course whose goal is to ease the transition from lower-division calculus courses to upper-division courses in linear and abstract algebra, real and complex analysis, number theory, topology, combinatorics, and so on. Without such a "bridge" course, most upper division instructors feel the need to start their courses with the rudiments of logic, set theory, equivalence relations, and other basic mathematical raw materials before getting on with the subject at hand. Students who are new to higher mathematics are often startled to discover that mathematics is a subject of ideas, and not just formulaic rituals, and that they are now expected to understand and create mathematical proofs. Mastery of an assortment of technical tricks may have carried the students through calculus, but it is no longer a guarantee of academic success. Students need experience in working with abstract ideas at a nontrivial level if they are to achieve the sophisticated blend of knowledge, disci pline, and creativity that we call "mathematical maturity. " I don't believe that "theorem-proving" can be taught any more than "question-answering" can be taught. Nevertheless, I have found that it is possible to guide stu dents gently into the process of mathematical proof in such a way that they become comfortable with the experience and begin asking them selves questions that will lead them in the right direction.

Author : Stephan Foldes
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118031431
Total Pages : 362 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fundamental Structures of Algebra and Discrete Mathematics written by Stephan Foldes and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-02-14 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces and clarifies the basic theories of 12 structural concepts, offering a fundamental theory of groups, rings and other algebraic structures. Identifies essentials and describes interrelationships between particular theories. Selected classical theorems and results relevant to current research are proved rigorously within the theory of each structure. Throughout the text the reader is frequently prompted to perform integrated exercises of verification and to explore examples.

Author : Antonio Montalbán
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108534422
Total Pages : 214 pages
Book Rating : 4.20/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Computable Structure Theory written by Antonio Montalbán and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-06-24 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In mathematics, we know there are some concepts - objects, constructions, structures, proofs - that are more complex and difficult to describe than others. Computable structure theory quantifies and studies the complexity of mathematical structures, structures such as graphs, groups, and orderings. Written by a contemporary expert in the subject, this is the first full monograph on computable structure theory in 20 years. Aimed at graduate students and researchers in mathematical logic, it brings new results of the author together with many older results that were previously scattered across the literature and presents them all in a coherent framework, making it easier for the reader to learn the main results and techniques in the area for application in their own research. This volume focuses on countable structures whose complexity can be measured within arithmetic; a forthcoming second volume will study structures beyond arithmetic.