Thinking about Mathematics: The Philosophy of Mathematics 1st Edition

by Stewart Shapiro (Author)

16 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0192893062

ISBN-10: 0192893068

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This unique book by Stewart Shapiro looks at a range of philosophical issues and positions concerning mathematics in four comprehensive sections. Part I describes questions and issues about mathematics that have motivated philosophers since the beginning of intellectual history. Part II is an historical survey, discussing the role of mathematics in the thought of such philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. Part III covers the three major positions held throughout the twentieth century: the idea that mathematics is logic (logicism), the view that the essence of mathematics is the rule-governed manipulation of characters (formalism), and a revisionist philosophy that focuses on the mental activity of mathematics (intuitionism). Finally, Part IV brings the reader up-to-date with a look at contemporary developments within the discipline.

This sweeping introductory guide to the philosophy of mathematics makes these fascinating concepts accessible to those with little background in either mathematics or philosophy.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stewart Shapiro admirably provides an accessible introduction to contemporary thinking in mathematics, while avoiding caricature of the technicalities. His ease with the subject and lucid style makes this book a succinct introduction to a fascinating intellectual discipline." Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Stewart Shapiro is Professor of Philosophy at Ohio State University at Newark and Professorial Fellow in the Department of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (October 5, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0192893068
ISBN-13: 978-0192893062
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 0.7 x 5.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 16 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #773,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #277 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy > Logic
- #749 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Logic & Language
- #1421 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Linguistics

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Ronald Fernandez

Understanding what math is

October 26, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a great book. It gives a comprehensive view of what math is really about, not about how to do math. It covers the fundamental issues as to the nature of mathematical entities and related problems all the way from ancient times to the present. It also engages some thorny problems concerning the discipline, all in fluent unobtrusive language that makes understanding easier than usual, without sacrificing depth or breath. I recommend it to anyone who, like myself, has struggled for a long time to grasp the significance, importance and limitations of math. As far as my needs are concerned, this is the best book on the subject that I have come across.

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Shane

A good overview of the history of ideas and current positions ...

April 18, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A good overview of the history of ideas and current positions within the philosophy of mathematics. Interesting to see what a struggle it has been to explain what something so seemingly intuitive as math actually is and the great efforts philosophers have made to answer these questions. Gets very dense and complicated as it goes on. The numerous Bill Clinton jokes have not aged well.

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eric j larson

Concise, clear

January 19, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Shapiro did not make the topic easy to understand. That's impossible. It's philosophy of math. But he made it as understandable to me, a reader with very little previous exposure to the subject, and did so concisely while presenting the fascinating arguments in all major veins of thought on the subject.

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peria

Three Stars

July 23, 2016

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Language is confusing and convoluted. Students did not find the textbook helpful in explaining major concepts

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M. Le Corre

Not an introduction

November 24, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I am a reader with some basic background in logic and philosophy of language. Despite this background, I find Shapiro terribly difficult to read. For example, I read the section on Kant three times and am still not sure whether I understood anything. There must be simpler ways of explaining the material he presents.

So this might be a great book for someone with a solid backgrounds in both philosophy and mathematics who wants to know more about questions at the crossroads of both fields. However, I absolutely do not recommend it as an introduction to these ideas.

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David Arp

Typical Wordy Philosophical Book

December 9, 2016

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Skip this book, wordier than the typical book on philosophy.

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Driftwin Books

Completely satisfied!

July 24, 2015

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Arrived very quickly! Completely satisfied!

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Amazon Customer

Good buy

March 26, 2013

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This item was sent out quickly and received by my son in college quickly. Was in great shape. Thanks you.

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Nancy Mitchell

This book is fine if you know some philosophy..

Unless you're a philosophy student or have one degree or more in philosophy
you could have trouble understanding this book (and likely any other book
on the philosophy...Read more

Published on November 19, 2015

Let's Compare Options Preptorial

One of Five Musts, and a 6th sleeper, but Not Many More!

The amazing thing about the little handful of books on Mathematical Philosophy--2 by Shapiro, Frege, Russell and of course Benacerraf and Putnam's classic, is the paucity of...More Precisely: The Math You Need to Do PhilosophyThe Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic (Oxford Handbooks)

Read more

Published on June 21, 2014

Jordan Bell

Too much ontology, not enough epistemology

This is not a great work, but it is probably worth reading for undergraduate students of philosophy.Read more

Published on February 27, 2014

Derek Anderson

Wonderful Book

I recommend this book to all that are interested in the philosophy of mathematics that have only a minimal background in both.Read more

Published on April 19, 2009

Amazon Customer

Excellent

An excellent book that I recommend to readers interested on mathematical philosophy who are not specialists.Read more

Published on April 29, 2008

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