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Question posted on February 23, 2014; 1 response
Imagine that a Greek philosopher promised to his queen that he would determine the greatest prime number. He failed. Do you think that the mathematical fact that primes are infinite was a cause of his failure? I'm asking this because...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on December 12, 2013; 1 response
My understanding is that we can use systems like Peano Arithmetic to prove the seemingly basic truth that 1+1=2. Do such proofs actually give us reasons to believe that 1+1=2 that we didn't have before? Are they more fundamental or...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on October 17, 2013; 1 response
I am interested in how mathematical propositions relate to objects in the world; that is, how math and its concepts somehow correspond to the physical world. I have thought a bit about the issue, and realize that what happens, say,...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on September 25, 2013; 1 response
Does the fact that our perceptions can be represented geometrically and that geometry consists of eternal truths independent of the mind prove that an external reality underlies our perceptions?...
Mathematics, Perception Show

Question posted on August 15, 2013; 1 response
Is it ethical for game theory to be applied to conflicts which may involve mass human deaths for non-defensive wars?...
Ethics, Mathematics Show

Question posted on August 1, 2013; 1 response
Are dimensions exceeding 3 actually comceivable or are they purely intellectual constructs? Is this even debated in philosophy?...
Mathematics, Physics Show

Question posted on June 20, 2013; 1 response
I have a question. Years ago me and two friends got into a debate about a riddle. The riddle goes like this: A train starts from point A and is travelling towards point B. A wasp is travelling in the opposite...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on June 13, 2013; 1 response
Is 0 really a fraction? Because some do not agree that it is not a fraction. But I have a thought Fraction=no. of equal parts considered/total no. of parts So if I divide a chocolate in 4 parts and eat no...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on June 7, 2013; 1 response
In mathematics numbers are abstract notions. But when we divide number say we do 1 divided by 2 i.e. ½ does this mean abstract notions are divisible. It gives me a feeling like abstract notions have magnitude but then it...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on May 9, 2013; 2 responses
How would a philosopher of math describe what happened when ancient mathematicians discovered (?) the number zero?...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on May 9, 2013; 1 response
Does a point in geometry (cartesian and euclidean) occupy space or have volume (if we consider 3-D geometry)? And is a line segment always perpendicular to its point of origin? Or can we frame this as, is a line perpendicular...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on May 2, 2013; 1 response
What does it mean when a certain axiom is neither provable nor deniable? Does it imply that such axiom is self-evident and can't be doubted? I don't think that "real skeptics"(a skeptic who is so deep in doubt that he...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on April 11, 2013; 1 response
Are mathematical truths such as 2+2 =4 arguable exceptions to the correspondence theory of truth? I mean is 2+2=4 a truth that corresponds to "the world"?...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on April 4, 2013; 1 response
Hi, I love your website and I have enjoyed reading the articles. Please could you help me with a question? I would like to ask the question regarding 'negative numbers'. Can there be such a thing as a negative? Please allow me...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on March 21, 2013; 2 responses
Are 3 and √9 the same mathematical object (in light of the fact that they have the same numerical value), or are they distinct mathematical objects? In other words, are the expressions '3' and '√9' co-referential names (both referring to the...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on March 15, 2013; 1 response
Dear philosophers, I really appreciate your website, which I just discovered! I'd like to make one comment regarding the recent questions about infinite sets on March 7 and March 14. In your responses (Allen Stairs and Richard Heck on March 14), you...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on March 14, 2013; 3 responses
Hi, I was hoping for some clarification from Professor Maitzen about his comments on infinite sets (on March 7). The fact that every natural number has a successor is only true for the natural numbers so far encountered (and...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on March 7, 2013; 2 responses
Do infinite sets exist? Most mathematicians say yes, but to me it seems like infinite sets can only exist if we use inductive reasoning but not deductive reasoning. For example, in the set {1,2,3,4,...} we can't prove that the ......
Mathematics Show

Question posted on February 14, 2013; 1 response
Euclid in "Elements" wrote that "things which equal the same thing also equal one another." Is this true in all cases? I've read that it is only true for "absolute entities," but not to "relations," although I do not understand...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on January 10, 2013; 1 response
I've recently read that some mathematician's believe that there are "no necessary truths" in mathematics. Is this true? And if it is, what implications would it have on deductive logic, it being the case that deductive logical forms...
Mathematics Show




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