? Credit Points : 20  ? SCQF Level : 10  ? Acronym : PPL-3-PM-PH

A one-semester course on the foundations of mathematics. Sketch of the views of Plato and Aristotle through to Kant and Mill. The various foundational positions: realism, logicism, constructivism, formalism and finitism. Logicism. Varieties of formalism. Finitism and Hilbert's programme. The significance of Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems and related results concerning truth and computability. Constructivism and intuitionism. The emergence of axiomatic set theory as foundation for all mathematics. Set-theoretic realism. Structuralism. The applicability of mathematics and the indispensability of mathematics.

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : Logic 1 or equivalent

Home subject area

Philosophy, (School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, Schedule I)

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

First Class Information

Date Start End Room Area Additional Information 07/01/2008 16:10 18:00 Room 11.01, David Hume Tower Central

All of the following classes

Type Day Start End Area Lecture Monday 16:10 18:00 Central

To develop further the philosophical skills, and to extend as well as deepen the philosophical knowledge, acquired in previous philosophy courses.

exam only

Exam times

Diet Diet Month Paper Code Paper Name Length 1ST May 1 philosophy of mathematics 2 hour(s)

The Course Secretary should be the first point of contact for all enquiries.

Course Secretary

Mrs Moira Avraam
Tel : (0131 6)50 3661
Email : Moira.Avraam@ed.ac.uk

Course Organiser

Dr Alasdair Richmond
Tel : (0131 6)50 3656
Email : A.Richmond@ed.ac.uk

Course Website : http://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk

School Website : http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/

College Website : http://www.hss.ed.ac.uk/