Knowles, R (2021) Platonic Relations and Mathematical Explanations. The Philosophical Quarterly, 71 (3). pp. 623-644. ISSN 0031-8094
Abstract
Some scientific explanations appear to turn on pure mathematical claims. The enhanced indispensability argument appeals to these ‘mathematical explanations’ in support of mathematical platonism. I argue that the success of this argument rests on the claim that mathematical explanations locate pure mathematical facts on which their physical explananda depend, and that any account of mathematical explanation that supports this claim fails to provide an adequate understanding of mathematical explanation.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2020. This is an author produced version of an article published in Philosophical Quarterly. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | mathematical explanation, enhanced indispensability argument, mathematical platonism, ontic dependence, mathematical structuralism, underdetermination |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number British Academy pf160035 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 31 Jul 2020 12:53 |
Last Modified: | 06 Apr 2023 04:15 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/pq/pqaa053 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:163904 |