The growth of mathematical knowledge (Q1969614)

The articles of this volume will not be indexed individually. The book under review arose from the editors' conviction that important issues in the philosophy of mathematics could be illuminated by a more highly structured dialogue between philosophers and historians. To realize this idea they organized a pair of conferences in April 1995 and April 1996 at the Pennsylvania State University. The results of these conferences are presented in this volume. It is organized in a diagolue form, with each philosophical thesis answered by one or more historical case studies designed to support, complicate or question it. The book consists of 28 essays divided into three parts. The first part addresses the issues raised by empiricist considerations and is devoted to the role of scientific theory and empirical fact in the growth of mathematical knowledge. Part two studies the formal aspects of the development of mathematics. The third part raises the question of whether the growth of mathematical knowledge constitutes progress and how progress can be understood.