Center for Philosophy of Science
LTT: Kati Kish Bar-On
Title: Mathematics and Society Reunited: The Social Aspects of Brouwer’s Intuitionism
Abstract:
Brouwer’s philosophy of mathematics is usually regarded as an intra-subjective, even solipsistic approach, which also underlies his mathematical intuitionism, as he strived to create mathematics that develops out of something inner and linguistic. Thus, points of connection between Brouwer’s views and the social world seem less probable and are rarely mentioned in the literature. In this lecture, I examine Brouwer’s views on the construction, use, and practice of mathematics through a socially oriented prism. I highlight the social character of mathematical practice as Brouwer addressed it in the Significs Dialogues – documented dialogues between Brouwer and other members of the Signific Circle, a social movement focused on the connection between language, mathematics, and society. I show how fleshing out the connection between society, people, and mathematical knowledge in Brouwer’s thought poses two critical questions regarding the twofold effect of social, personal, and political events on the evolution of intuitionistic mathematics, on the one hand, and the content of Brouwer’s intuitionism, on the other.
