Journal of the ACMS


 

Journal of the ACMS, 2007 Issue

An Augustinian Perspective on the Philosophy of Mathematics

James Bradley, Calvin College

Abstract: From a Christian perspective, both modern and post-modern approaches to the philosophy of mathematics have significant shortcomings. This paper explores an alternative. It summarizes Augustine of Hippo's views on the four classical themes of the philosophy of mathematics-the ontology of mathematical objects, their epistemology, the nature of truth in mathematics, and how we account for the effectiveness of mathematics in describing the natural world. It then traces what has happened to Augustine's perspective in the roughly 1600 years since it was written concluding with a discussion of some spiritual and intellectual problems with the currently dominant secular perspective.

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