This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/87598
Description
Title
Intertheoretic Reference in Mathematics
Author(s)
Stidd, Sean Charles
Issue Date
2006
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Timothy McCarthy
Department of Study
Philosophy
Discipline
Philosophy
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Philosophy
Language
eng
Abstract
"Some mathematical terms are commonly taken by mathematicians, historians of mathematics, and ordinary speakers to co-refer with other mathematical terms even when each is embedded in a theory which predicates distinct properties of said referents. In this dissertation a picture of reference for such terms is set forth and defended which can make sense of such ordinary attributions of co-reference. It is argued that if one understands the perceivable structural properties of physical objects as mathematical entities, such properties can play the role of semantic anchors in the context of a hybrid internal-external (""descriptive""-""causal"") theory of reference. The conditions under which two terms dominantly associated with such properties co-refer are developed, and it is argued that actual cases of co-reference which are not tractable on a structuralist approach meet these conditions. The ontological claim that some mathematical objects are perceivable structural properties of physical objects and the general semantic viewpoint of the dissertation are also given independent defense."
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
