Is Mathematics Unreasonably Effective

Bibliographic Data

ID21293345
AuthorsDaniel Waxman (0000-0003-4354-8554, Lingnan University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume99
Issue1
Pages83-99
Publication date2021-01-02
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralasian Journal of Philosophy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0004-8402 • E-ISSN: 1470-6828
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00048402.2020.1724164
OpenAlexW3013602882
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited17

Many mathematicians, physicists, and philosophers have suggested that the fact that mathematics—an a priori discipline informed substantially by aesthetic considerations—can be applied to natural science is mysterious. This paper sharpens and responds to a challenge to this effect. I argue that the aesthetic considerations used to evaluate and motivate mathematics are much more closely connected with the physical world than one might presume, and (with reference to case studies within Galois theory and probabilistic number theory) I show that they are correlated with generally recognised theoretical virtues, such as explanatory depth, unifying power, fruitfulness, and importance

A priori and a posteriori · Epistemology · Explanatory power · Mathematical economics · Natural (archaeology) · Natural science · Physics · Power (physics) · Probabilistic logic · Aesthetic Perception and Analysis · History · Mathematics · Pain Management and Placebo Effect · Philosophy

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