The pernicious influence of mathematics upon philosophy (Q1182178)

This paper maintains that the practice of philosophy in this century has been severely harmed by the influence of ``mathematizing'' philosophers who would seek to make philosophy more like mathematics. These philosophers ignore major differences between mathematics and philosophy which make it unwise to try to assimilate the two. Moreover, the ``mathematizing'' philosophers have misunderstood the processes of mathematics itself by confusing the real historical process by which mathematical content develops with the presentation of mathematical results in proofs.