[PhilPhys] Lunch Time Talk- Lucy James - An Apology for Platonism - Friday

[Center for Phil Sci]

The Center for Philosophy of Science invites you to join us for our Lunch
Time Talk .  Attend in person, room 1117 on the 11th floor of the Cathedral
of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh or visit our live stream on
YouTube at *https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg>*.

*Lunch Time Talk -  *
* Lucy James*
*Friday, January 24th @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT*
If you are unable to join us in person, use this link to follow along:
https://pitt.zoom.us/j/92273619936
Title: An Apology for Platonism
*Abstract:  *This paper distinguishes `heuristic' from `interpretational'
variants of mathematical Platonism, the former being identified with
Einstein's mature philosophical views (see Norton 2000). If a heuristic
Platonism is to be employed by theoretical physicists, at best, it must be
supplemented with further considerations about empirical measurement, so as
not to present a hindrance to progress of the field. However, it is argued,
mathematical physicists and pure mathematicians are engaged in a different
stage of the process of discovery, for which a Platonist attitude could
serve as a harmless guide to practice. This paper tracks some key moments
in the history of the development of non-Euclidean geometries (notable
figures being Saccheri, Bolyai, Gauss, Lobachevsky, and Riemann), which
have since become integral to a thorough presentation of general
relativity, to investigate the extent to which Platonist attitudes did in
fact shape the evolution of this area of mathematics. Findings are mixed;
whilst none of the mathematicians mentioned (with the exception of Euclid
himself) can be shown to have straightforwardly employed Platonist
heuristics in their work, although their motivation did stretch well beyond
empirical concerns. When it comes to philosophical reflections on the
fundamental subject matter of physical theory, these historical
considerations reveal the inadequacy of the formalist thesis in the
philosophy of mathematics literature (see e.g. Black 1950). An
interpretational variant of Platonism remains open as a viable alternative.
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