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“What Line Can’T Be Measured With A Ruler?” Riddles And Concept-Formation In Mathematics And Aesthetics, William H. Brenner, Samuel J. Wheeler
“What Line Can’T Be Measured With A Ruler?” Riddles And Concept-Formation In Mathematics And Aesthetics, William H. Brenner, Samuel J. Wheeler
Philosophy Faculty Publications
We analyze two problems in mathematics – the first (stated in our title) is extracted from Wittgenstein’s “Philosophy for Mathematicians”; the second (“What set of numbers is non-denumerable?”) is taken from Cantor. We then consider, by way of comparison, a problem in musical aesthetics concerning a Brahms variation on a theme by Haydn. Our aim is twofold: first, to bring out and elucidate the essentially riddle-like character of these problems; second, to show that the comparison with riddles does not reduce their solution to an exercise in bare subjectivity
Wittgenstein On Miscalculation And The Foundations Of Mathematics, Samuel J. Wheeler
Wittgenstein On Miscalculation And The Foundations Of Mathematics, Samuel J. Wheeler
Philosophy Faculty Publications
In Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics, Wittgenstein notes that he has 'not yet made the role of miscalculating clear' and that 'the role of the proposition: "I must have miscalculated"...is really the key to an understanding of the "foundations" of mathematics.' In this paper, I hope to get clear on how this is the case. First, I will explain Wittgenstein's understanding of a 'foundation' for mathematics. Then, by showing how the proposition 'I must have miscalculated' differentiates mathematics from the physical sciences, we will see how this proposition is the key to understanding the foundations of mathematics.