Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural Science

Hermann Weyl

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780691141206, 9780691080147
• eBook ISBN: 9781400833337
• Topic: Mathematik
• Subtopic: Geschichte & Philosophie der Mathematik

When mathematician Hermann Weyl decided to write a book on philosophy, he faced what he referred to as "conflicts of conscience"--the objective nature of science, he felt, did not mesh easily with the incredulous, uncertain nature of philosophy. Yet the two disciplines were already intertwined. In Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural Science, Weyl examines how advances in philosophy were led by scientific discoveries--the more humankind understood about the physical world, the more curious we became. The book is divided into two parts, one on mathematics and the other on the physical sciences. Drawing on work by Descartes, Galileo, Hume, Kant, Leibniz, and Newton, Weyl provides readers with a guide to understanding science through the lens of philosophy. This is a book that no one but Weyl could have written--and, indeed, no one has written anything quite like it since.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Preface
• Bibliographical Note
• Part I. Mathematics
• Part II. Natural Science
• Appendices
• Appendix A: The Structure of Mathematics
• Appendix B: Ars Combinatoria
• Appendix C: Quantum Physics and Causality
• Appendix D: Chemical Valence and the Hierarchy of Structures
• Appendix E: Physics and Biology
• Appendix F: The Main Features of the Physical World; Morphe and Evolution
• Index