Postgraduate Course: Philosophy of Mathematics MSc (PHIL11045)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Philosophy |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | 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 Godel'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 PHIL10052 Philosophy of Mathematics. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Students who have completed this course should be able to:
* Demonstrate a good overall grasp of the main foundational positions concerning mathematics: Platonism, realism, logicism, intuitionism, etc
* Be able to assess the various arguments in favour of, and against, these positions
* Understand the relation between debates about the foundations of mathematics and other topics (such as the applicability of mathematics in science) |
Assessment Information
| One 2,500 word essay |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Tillman Vierkant
Tel: (0131 6)51 3748
Email: T.Vierkant@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk |
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