Physicalistic Platonism

Penelope Maddy

pp. 259-289

in: Irvine (ed), Physicalism in mathematics, Berlin, Springer, 1990

Abstract

To many, the phrase "physicalistic platonism" will seem a contradiction in terms, and rightly so. The physicalist confines himself to the physical, while the platonist embraces the abstract; the two are irreconcilable. Of course, beginning from an inconsistency has the undeniable advantage of allowing us to prove anything we like, but I have something a bit more serious in mind.

Cited authors

Plato