An historical introduction to the philosophy of mathematics: a reader (Q2818794)

The book under review brings together an impressive collection of primary sources from ancient and modern philosophy of mathematics. A broad selection of contemporary readings is included as well. They are generally arranged chronologically, however some themes (for example: different views about infinity) are scattered through the book. The material is divided into four parts: Part I: Ancients, Part II: Moderns, Part III: Nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Part IV: Contemporary views. Each part begins with an introduction outlining the major themes in the readings. It is followed by a selection of texts. In Part I, one finds texts by Diogenes Laertius, Porphyry, Kline, Parmenides, Marshall, Plato, Aristotle. Part II consists of three chapters: The rationalists (texts by Descartes, Leibniz, Locke), The empiricists (texts by Locke, Berkeley and Hume), Kant. In Part III, one finds texts by Mill, Cantor, Frege, Russell, Hilbert, Heyting, Brouwer, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Ayer, Hintikka. In the last Part IV, we find texts by Benacerraf, Field, Quine, Putnam, Shapiro, Katz, Gödel, Maddy, Balaguer, Heck and Baker. In addition to source material, support material for each of the twenty-four sections of the book is provided: at the end of each introductory overview, suggestions for further readings lightly annotated are included as well as ``Themes to explore'' (they could be essays or research assignments, classroom discussion questions or extracurricular reviews). The bibliography at the end of the book contains a list of introductory textbooks which could be used alongside the reader under review.NEWLINENEWLINEThe book illustrates the development of the philosophy of mathematics through centuries till today. It is aimed primarily at undergraduates and early graduate students, however it can serve as an invaluable sourcebook for working researchers as well.