-
1450Modal realism and modal epistemology: A huge gapIn Erik Weber Tim De Mey (ed.), Modal Epistemology, Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie Van Belgie Vor Wetenschappen En Kunsten. pp. 93--106. 2004.
-
84The No-Category OntologyThe Monist 98 (3): 233-245. 2015.In this paper we argue that there are no categories of being⎯at least not in the robust metaphysical sense of something fundamental. Central arguments that metaphysicians provide in support of fundamental categories, such as indispensability and theoretical utility arguments, are not adequate to guarantee their existence. We illustrate this point by examining Jonathan Lowe’s [2006] four-category ontology, and indicating its shortcomings. In contrast, we offer an alternative, no-category ontology…Read more
-
947An Inferential Conception of the Application of MathematicsNoûs 45 (2): 345-374. 2011.A number of people have recently argued for a structural approach to accounting for the applications of mathematics. Such an approach has been called "the mapping account". According to this view, the applicability of mathematics is fully accounted for by appreciating the relevant structural similarities between the empirical system under study and the mathematics used in the investigation ofthat system. This account of applications requires the truth of applied mathematical assertions, but it d…Read more
-
1377Modalism and Logical PluralismMind 118 (470): 295-321. 2009.Logical pluralism is the view according to which there is more than one relation of logical consequence, even within a given language. A recent articulation of this view has been developed in terms of quantification over different cases: classical logic emerges from consistent and complete cases; constructive logic from consistent and incomplete cases, and paraconsistent logic from inconsistent and complete cases. We argue that this formulation causes pluralism to collapse into either logical ni…Read more
-
263Scientific representation and nominalism: an empiricist viewPrincipia: An International Journal of Epistemology 12 (2): 177-192. 2008.Can a constructive empiricist make sense of scientific representation? Usually, a scientific model is an abstract entity, and scientific representation is conceptualized as an intentional relation between scientific models and certain aspects of the world. On this conception, since both the models and the representation relation are abstract, a constructive empiricist, who is not committed to the existence of abstract entities, would be unable to invoke these notions to make sense of scientific …Read more
-
1288A coherence theory of truthManuscrito 28 (2): 263-290. 2005.In this paper, we provide a new formulation of a coherence theory of truth using the resources of the partial structures approach − in particular the notions of partial structure and quasi-truth. After developing this new formulation, we apply the resulting theory to the philosophy of mathematics, and argue that it can be used to develop a new account of nominalism in mathematics. This application illustrates the strength and usefulness of the proposed formulation of a coherence theory of truth
-
Infestation or pest control: the introduction of group theory into quantum mechanicsManuscrito 22 (2): 37-68. 1999.
-
590in Ragioni Degli Altri, 2008
-
133True Nominalism: Referring versus CodingBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science 67 (3): 781-816. 2016.One major motivation for nominalism, at least according to Hartry Field, is the desirability of intrinsic explanations: explanations that don’t invoke objects that are causally irrelevant to the phenomena being explained. There is something right about the search for such explanations. But that search must be carefully implemented. Nothing is gained if, to avoid a certain class of objects, one only introduces other objects and relations that are just as nominalistically questionable. We will arg…Read more
-
55Hetherington, Stephen, ed., Epistemology Futures, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2006, x + 241, US$54.00 (cloth) (review)Australasian Journal of Philosophy 88 (1): 181-183. 2010.This Article does not have an abstract
-
949Why advocate pancritical rationalism?In R. S. Cohen & Z. Parusniková (eds.), Rethinking Popper, Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Springer. pp. 81--89. 2007.This paper provides a rationale for advocating pancritical rationalism. First, it argues that the advocate of critical rationalism may accept (but not be internally justified in accepting) that there is ‘justification’ in an externalist sense, specifically that certain procedures can track truth, and suggest that this recognition should inform practice; that one should try to determine which sources and methods are appropriate for various aspects of inquiry, and to what extent they are. Second, …Read more
-
5Paraconsistency: Towards a tentative interpretationTheoria: Revista de Teoría, Historia y Fundamentos de la Ciencia 16 (1): 119-145. 2001.
-
48In this paper, I shall discuss the heuristic role of symmetry in the mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics. I shall first set out the scene in terms of Bas van Fraassen’s elegant presentation of how symmetry principles can be used as problem-solving devices (see van Fraassen [1989] and [1991]). I will then examine in what ways Hermann Weyl and John von Neumann have used symmetry principles in their work as a crucial problem-solving tool. Finally, I shall explore one consequence of this s…Read more
-
37Review of D. Mac Kenzie, Mechanizing Proof: Computing, Risk, and TrustPhilosophia Mathematica 13 (3): 319-325. 2005.
-
5Philosophy of logicIn Fritz Allhoff (ed.), Philosophies of the Sciences, Wiley‐blackwell. 2009.This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Logical Consequence Logical Pluralism Applications of Logic Conclusion References.
-
958The aim of this paper is two-fold: (1) To contribute to a better knowledge of the method of the Argentinean mathematicians Lia Oubifia and Jorge Bosch to formulate category theory independently of set theory. This method suggests a new ontology of mathematical objects, and has a profound philosophical significance (the underlying logic of the resulting category theory is classical iirst—order predicate calculus with equality). (2) To show in outline how the Oubina-Bosch theory can be modified to…Read more
-
5Book Reviews (review)History and Philosophy of Logic 17 (1-2): 155-177. 1996.Gennaro Chtjerchia, Dynamics of meaning: anaphora, presupposition, and the the of grammar. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1995.xv+ 270 pp, £59.95, £31.95 G. Pr...
-
160The Logic of Pragmatic TruthJournal of Philosophical Logic 27 (6): 603-620. 1998.The mathematical concept of pragmatic truth, first introduced in Mikenberg, da Costa and Chuaqui (1986), has received in the last few years several applications in logic and the philosophy of science. In this paper, we study the logic of pragmatic truth, and show that there are important connections between this logic, modal logic and, in particular, Jaskowski's discussive logic. In order to do so, two systems are put forward so that the notions of pragmatic validity and pragmatic truth can be a…Read more
-
268Modalism and theoretical virtues: toward an epistemology of modalityPhilosophical Studies 172 (3): 671-689. 2015.According to modalism, modality is primitive. In this paper, we examine the implications of this view for modal epistemology, and articulate a modalist account of modal knowledge. First, we discuss a theoretical utility argument used by David Lewis in support of his claim that there is a plurality of concrete worlds. We reject this argument, and show how to dispense with possible worlds altogether. We proceed to account for modal knowledge in modalist terms.
-
103An Easy Road to NominalismMind 121 (484): 967-982. 2012.In this paper, I provide an easy road to nominalism which does not rely on a Field-type nominalization strategy for mathematics. According to this proposal, applications of mathematics to science, and alleged mathematical explanations of physical phenomena, only emerge when suitable physical interpretations of the mathematical formalism are advanced. And since these interpretations are rarely distinguished from the mathematical formalism, the impression arises that mathematical explanations deri…Read more
-
8[Omnibus Review]Journal of Symbolic Logic 62 (2): 683-685. 1997.Reviewed Works:Chris Mortensen, Inconsistent Mathematics.Chris Mortensen, Peter Lavers, Category Theory.William James, Closed Set Sheaves and Their Categories.Chris Mortensen, Joshua Cole, Foundations: Provability, Truth and Sets
-
773In this paper, I shall provide a defence of second-order logic in the context of its use in the philosophy of mathematics. This shall be done by considering three problems that have been recently posed against this logic: (1) According to Resnik [1988], by adopting second-order quantifiers, we become ontologically committed to classes. (2) As opposed to what is claimed by defenders of second-order logic (such as Shapiro [1985]), the existence of non-standard models of first-order theories does n…Read more
-
105Suppes predicates for space-timeSynthese 112 (2): 271-279. 1997.We formulate Suppes predicates for various kinds of space-time: classical Euclidean, Minkowski's, and that of General Relativity. Starting with topological properties, these continua are mathematically constructed with the help of a basic algebra of events; this algebra constitutes a kind of mereology, in the sense of Lesniewski. There are several alternative, possible constructions, depending, for instance, on the use of the common field of reals or of a non-Archimedian field. Our approach was …Read more
-
129Is it possible to nominalize quantum mechanics?Philosophy of Science 70 (5): 1424-1436. 2003.Hartry Field (1980) has developed an interesting nominalization strategy for Newtonian gravitation theory—a strategy that reformulates the theory without quantification over abstract entities. According to David Malament (1982), Field's strategy cannot be extended to quantum mechanics (QM), and so it only has a limited scope. In a recent work, Mark Balaguer has responded to Malament's challenge by indicating how QM can be nominalized, and by “doing much of the work needed to provide the nominali…Read more
-
17Book reviews (review)History and Philosophy of Logic 19 (4): 267-277. 1998.Michael Dummett, Frege and other philosophers. Oxford:Clarendon Press, 1991. xii + 330pp. £35. ISBN W.Balzer and C.U.Moulines (eds,), Structuralist theory of science:focal issues, new results, Berlin; de Gruyter, 1996. xi + 295 pp.DM 210. ISBN 3-11-014075-6 Henry Prakken, Logical tools for modeling legal argument a study of defeasible reasoning in law.Dordrecht, The Netherlands:Kluwer Academic, 1997, xiii + 314pp.£75.00/$125.00 J.Srzednicki and Z.Stachniak (eds.) Lesniewski’s Systems.Protothetic…Read more
Coral Gables, Florida, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Logic and Philosophy of Logic |
Philosophy of Mathematics |
General Philosophy of Science |
Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
Metaphysics |
Aesthetics |
Philosophy of Physical Science |