Units: 4
Hours: Lecture, 3 hours; extra reading, written work, homework problems, 3 hours
Catalog page 384
Prerequisites: PHIL 124 or one mathematics course or consent of instructor
Description: Discusses topics such as the abstract nature of mathematical objects, the sources of mathematical knowledge, the relation between mathematics and logic, and the infinite in mathematics. Considers the development of some selected parts of mathematics (especially arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and set theory) and of various corresponding philosophical positions (platonism, formalism, intuitionism, structuralism). Course is repeatable as content changes.
Credit: Credit is awarded for only one of PHIL 139 or PHIL 239.