Description:
This important book by a major American philosopher brings together eleven essays treating problems in logic and the philosophy of mathematics. A common point of view, that mathematical thought is central to our thought in general, underlies the essays. In his introduction, Parsons articulates that point of view and relates it to past and recent discussions of the foundations of mathematics.
Mathematics in Philosophy is divided into three parts. Ontology--the question of the nature and extent of existence assumptions in mathematics--is the subject of Part One and recurs elsewhere. Part Two consists of essays on two important historical figures, Kant and Frege, and one contemporary, W. V. Quine. Part Three contains essays on the three interrelated notions of set, class, and truth.
Review Quotes:
This volume can be regarded as a celebration of Parsons' work in the philosophy of mathematics.... No review can do justice to the wealth of insight it contains.
-- "Journal of Symbolic Logic"