Mathematical Rigour and Informal Proof

Stanley Tanswell, Fenner

doi:10.1017/9781009325110

2024

DOI: 10.1017/9781009325110

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Mathematical Rigour and Informal Proof

Fenner Stanley Tanswell

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Cited by 6 publications

References 126 publications

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Elements of Purity

Arana

2024

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A proof of a theorem can be said to be pure if it draws only on what is 'close' or 'intrinsic' to that theorem. In this Element we will investigate the apparent preference for pure proofs that has persisted in mathematics since antiquity, alongside a competing preference for impurity. In Section 1, we present two examples of purity, from geometry and number theory. In Section 2, we give a brief history of purity in mathematics. In Section 3, we discuss several different types of purity, based on different measures of distance between theorem and proof. In Section 4 we discuss reasons for preferring pure proofs, for the varieties of purity constraints presented in Section 3. In Section 5 we conclude by reflecting briefly on purity as a preference for the local and how issues of translation intersect with the considerations we have raised throughout this work.

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Elements of Purity

Arana

2024

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Introducing the Philosophy of Mathematical Practice

Carter

2024

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This Element introduces a young field, the 'philosophy of mathematical practice'. We first offer a general characterisation of the approach to the philosophy of mathematics that takes mathematical practice seriously and contrast it with 'mathematical philosophy'. The latter is traced back to Bertrand Russell and the orientation referred to as 'scientific philosophy' that was active between 1850 and 1930. To give a better sense of the field, the Element further contains two examples of topics studied, that of mathematical structuralism and visual thinking in mathematics. These are in part presented from a methodological point of view, focussing on mathematics as an activity and questions related to how mathematics develops. In addition, the Element contains several examples from mathematics, both historical and contemporary , to illustrate and support the philosophical points.

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Definitions and Mathematical Knowledge

Sereni

2024

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This Element discusses the philosophical roles of definitions in the attainment of mathematical knowledge. It first focuses on the role of definitions in foundational programs, and then examines their major varieties, both as regards their origins, their potential epistemic roles, and their formal constraints. It examines explicit definitions, implicit definitions, and implicit definitions of primitive terms, these latter being further divided into axiomatic and abstractive. After discussing elucidations and explications, various ways in which definitions can yield mathematical knowledge are surveyed.

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Mathematical Rigour and Informal Proof

Cited by 6 publications

References 126 publications

Elements of Purity

Elements of Purity

Introducing the Philosophy of Mathematical Practice

Definitions and Mathematical Knowledge

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