The explanatory and heuristic power of mathematics

Abstract

When it comes to explanation, these debates have touched upon a variety of questions. For example, philosophers have wondered how mathematical theorems, and mathematical formalisms more generally, can be used in explanations in other scientific fields such as physics, life sciences, or the social sciences. Another question is how certain parts of mathematics can be used to provide explanations of results belonging to other parts of mathematics. Relatedly, some interesting debates concern the way in which a given philosophical-metaphysical attitude towards mathematical entities (for instance, a nominalist conception) affects the explanatory power of