? Credit Points : 20  ? SCQF Level : 11  ? Acronym : PPL-P-MSc PM

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.

Shared with UG course U03180 Philosophy of Mathematics.

Venue: 11.01 David Hume Tower

? 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 : Postgraduate

? 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 16:00 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.

2500 word essay

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

Course Secretary

Miss Toni Noble
Tel : (0131 6)51 3188
Email : Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk

Course Organiser

Dr Jeffrey Ketland
Tel : (0131 6)50 3662
Email : Jeffrey.Ketland@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/