Abstract
Platonism, according to one unsympathetic commentator, “assimilates mathematical enquiry to the investigations of the astronomer: mathematical structures, like galaxies, exist, independently of us, in a realm of reality which we do not inhabit but which those of us who have the skill are capable of observing and reporting on.”1 I will call this the “π in the sky” view of mathematics, but not scornfully—though perhaps with touch of self-mockery—since I think it is true. Mathematics, I shall argue, is best accounted for by appeal to real platonic entities; not only do they provide the grounds for mathematical truth, but these abstract objects are also somehow or other responsible for our mathematical intuitions and insights.
For their very helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper I would like to thank Andrew Irvine, Penny Maddy and Alasdiar Urquhart.
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Brown, J.R. (1990). π in the Sky. In: Irvine, A.D. (eds) Physicalism in Mathematics. The University of Western Ontario Series in Philosophy of Science, vol 45. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1902-0_5
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