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The Curious Neglect of Geometry in Modern Philosophies of Mathematics

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Mathematics, Logic, and their Philosophies

Part of the book series: Logic, Epistemology, and the Unity of Science ((LEUS,volume 49))

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Abstract

From ancient times to 19th century geometry symbolized the essence of mathematical thinking and method, but modern philosophy of mathematics seems to have marginalized the philosophical status of geometry. The roots of this transformation will be sought in the ascendance of logical foundations in place of intuitive primacy as the cornerstone of mathematical certainty in the late 19th century. Nevertheless, geometry and geometrical thinking, in multiple manifestations, have continued to occupy a central place in the practice of mathematics proper. We argue that this, together with advances in the neuroscience of mathematical processes, calls for an expansion of the present limited remit of the philosophy of mathematics.

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Acknowledgement

The author thanks anonymous referee for helpful comments.

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Correspondence to Siavash Shahshahani .

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Shahshahani, S. (2021). The Curious Neglect of Geometry in Modern Philosophies of Mathematics. In: Mojtahedi, M., Rahman, S., Zarepour, M.S. (eds) Mathematics, Logic, and their Philosophies. Logic, Epistemology, and the Unity of Science, vol 49. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53654-1_14

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