Dummett on Abstract Objects

This historically-informed critical assessment of Dummett's account of abstract objects, examines in detail some of the Fregean presuppositions of Dummett's account whilst also engaging with phenomeno

The question of God's relationship to abstract objects touches on a number of perennial concerns related to the nature of God. God is typically thought to be an independent and self-sufficient being.

The question of God's relationship to abstract objects touches on a number of perennial concerns related to the nature of God. God is typically thought to be an independent and self-sufficient being.

Charles Parsons examines the notion of object, with the aim to navigate between nominalism, denying that distinctively mathematical objects exist, and forms of Platonism that postulate a transcendent realm of such objects. He introduces the central mathematical notion of structure and defends a version of the structuralist view of mathematical objects, according to which their existence is relative to a structure and they have no more of a 'nature' than that confers on them. Parsons also analyzes the concept of intuition and presents a conception of it distantly inspired by that of Kant, which describes a basic kind of access to abstract objects and an element of a first conception of the infinite.

Charles Parsons examines the notion of object, with the aim to navigate between nominalism, denying that distinctively mathematical objects exist, and forms of Platonism that postulate a transcendent realm of such objects. He introduces the central mathematical notion of structure and defends a version of the structuralist view of mathematical objects, according to which their existence is relative to a structure and they have no more of a 'nature' than that confers on them. Parsons also analyzes the concept of intuition and presents a conception of it distantly inspired by that of Kant, which describes a basic kind of access to abstract objects and an element of a first conception of the infinite.

" All code examples in the book are available for download on a companion site with resources for readers and instructors. A refreshing alternative to the rather abstract and dry explanations of the o

There is a widely recognized but infrequently discussed distinction between the spatiotemporal furniture of the world (tokens) and the types of which they are instances. Words come in both types and

Humans and other animals depend on their ability to perceive and represent spatialaspects of the world. We learn spatial schemas by observing the locations and movements of objects(including people) a

Humans and other animals depend on their ability to perceive and represent spatial aspects of the world. We learn spatial schemas by observing the locations and movements of objects (including people)

Using innovative photographic technology, Felice Frankel finds startling abstract beauty on the surfaces of objects all around us. Chemist George M. Whitesides explains each photograph, describing why

In many applications of graph theory, graphs are regarded as geometric objects drawn in the plane or in some other surface. The traditional methods of "abstract" graph theory are often incapable of pr

In this highly absorbing work, Balaguer demonstrates that no good arguments exist either for or against mathematical platonism-for example, the view that abstract mathematical objects do exist and tha

Prevailing scholarship on migration tends to present migrants as the objects of history, subjected to abstract global forces or to concrete forms of regulation imposed by state and supra state organiz

Poetry. LGBT Studies. Martenson's poems are narratives of thinking. They are landscapes in which abstract concepts have the presence and force of physical objects--you may hit your head on them. The f

The major reason for the lack of use of parallel computing is the mismatch between the complexity and variety of parallel hardware, and the software development tools to program it. The cost of developing software needs to be amortised over decades, but the platforms on which it executes change every few years, requiring complete rewrites. The evident cost-effectiveness of parallel computation has not been realized because of this mismatch. This book presents an integrated approach to parallel software development by addressing both software and performance issues together. It presents a methodology for software construction that produces architecture-independent and intellectually abstract software. The software can execute efficiently on a range of existing and potential hardware configurations. The approach is based on the construction of categorical data types, a generalization of abstract data types, and of objects. Categorical data types abstract both from the representation of a

What is the best way to divide a 'cake' and allocate the pieces among some finite collection of players? In this book, the cake is a measure space, and each player uses a countably additive, non-atomic probability measure to evaluate the size of the pieces of cake, with different players generally using different measures. The author investigates efficiency properties (is there another partition that would make everyone at least as happy, and would make at least one player happier, than the present partition?) and fairness properties (do all players think that their piece is at least as large as every other player's piece?). He focuses exclusively on abstract existence results rather than algorithms, and on the geometric objects that arise naturally in this context. By examining the shape of these objects and the relationship between them, he demonstrates results concerning the existence of efficient and fair partitions.

What is 'intellectual property'? This book examines the way in which this important area of law is constructed by the legal system. It argues that intellectual property is a body of rules, created by the legal system, that regulate the documented forms of abstract objects, which are also defined into existence by the legal system. Intellectual property law thus constructs its own objects of regulation and it does so through the application of a collection of core concepts. By analyzing the metaphysical structure of intellectual property law and the concepts the legal system uses to construct 'intellectual property', the book sheds new light on the nature of this fascinating area of law. It explains anomalies between social and intellectual property uses of concepts such as authorship - here dubbed 'creatorship' - and originality and it helps to explain the role of intellectual property from a structural (rather than the traditional normative) perspective.

This challenging study places fiction squarely at the centre of the discussion of metaphysics. Philosophers have traditionally treated fiction as involving a set of narrow problems in logic or the philosophy of language. By contrast Amie Thomasson argues that fiction has far-reaching implications for central problems of metaphysics. The book develops an 'artifactual' theory of fiction, whereby fictional characters are abstract artifacts as ordinary as laws or symphonies or works of literature. By understanding fictional characters we come to understand how other cultural and social objects are established on the basis of the independent physical world and the mental states of human beings.

This challenging study places fiction squarely at the centre of the discussion of metaphysics. Philosophers have traditionally treated fiction as involving a set of narrow problems in logic or the philosophy of language. By contrast Amie Thomasson argues that fiction has far-reaching implications for central problems of metaphysics. The book develops an 'artifactual' theory of fiction, whereby fictional characters are abstract artifacts as ordinary as laws or symphonies or works of literature. By understanding fictional characters we come to understand how other cultural and social objects are established on the basis of the independent physical world and the mental states of human beings.

This book gathers together thirteen of Peter van Inwagen's essays on metaphysics, several of which have acquired the status of modern classics in their field. They range widely across such topics as Quine's philosophy of quantification, the ontology of fiction, the part-whole relation, the theory of 'temporal parts', and human knowledge of modal truths. In addition, van Inwagen considers the question as to whether the psychological continuity theory of personal identity is compatible with materialism, and defends the thesis that possible states of affairs are abstract objects, in opposition to David Lewis's 'extreme modal realism'. A specially-written introduction completes the collection, which will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in metaphysics.

This book gathers together thirteen of Peter van Inwagen's essays on metaphysics, several of which have acquired the status of modern classics in their field. They range widely across such topics as Quine's philosophy of quantification, the ontology of fiction, the part-whole relation, the theory of 'temporal parts', and human knowledge of modal truths. In addition, van Inwagen considers the question as to whether the psychological continuity theory of personal identity is compatible with materialism, and defends the thesis that possible states of affairs are abstract objects, in opposition to David Lewis's 'extreme modal realism'. A specially-written introduction completes the collection, which will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in metaphysics.

The representation theory of symmetric groups is one of the most beautiful, popular and important parts of algebra, with many deep relations to other areas of mathematics such as combinatories, Lie theory and algebraic geometry. Kleshchev describes a new approach to the subject, based on the recent work of Lascoux, Leclerc, Thibon, Ariki, Grojnowski and Brundan, as well as his own. Much of this work has previously appeared only in the research literature. However to make it accessible to graduate students, the theory is developed from scratch, the only prerequisite being a standard course in abstract algebra. For the sake of transparency, Kleshchev concentrates on symmetric and spin-symmetric groups, though methods he develops are quite general and apply to a number of related objects. In sum, this unique book will be welcomed by graduate students and researchers as a modern account of the subject.

The representation theory of symmetric groups is one of the most beautiful, popular and important parts of algebra, with many deep relations to other areas of mathematics such as combinatories, Lie theory and algebraic geometry. Kleshchev describes a new approach to the subject, based on the recent work of Lascoux, Leclerc, Thibon, Ariki, Grojnowski and Brundan, as well as his own. Much of this work has previously appeared only in the research literature. However to make it accessible to graduate students, the theory is developed from scratch, the only prerequisite being a standard course in abstract algebra. For the sake of transparency, Kleshchev concentrates on symmetric and spin-symmetric groups, though methods he develops are quite general and apply to a number of related objects. In sum, this unique book will be welcomed by graduate students and researchers as a modern account of the subject.

Hume's discussion of the idea of space in his Treatise on Human Nature is fundamental to an understanding of his treatment of such central issues as the existence of external objects, the unity of the self, the relation between certainty and belief, and abstract ideas. Marina Frasca-Spada's rich and original study examines this difficult part of Hume's philosophical writings and connects it to eighteenth-century works in natural philosophy, mathematics and literature. Focusing on Hume's discussions of the infinite divisibility of extension, the origin of the idea of space, geometry, and the notion of a vacuum, she shows that the central questions of Hume's 'science of human nature' - what does the 'science of human nature' reveal about the mind and its operations? what is experience? - underlie all of these discussions. Her analysis points the way to a reassessment of the central current interpretative problems in Hume studies.

Hume's discussion of the idea of space in his Treatise on Human Nature is fundamental to an understanding of his treatment of such central issues as the existence of external objects, the unity of the self, the relation between certainty and belief, and abstract ideas. Marina Frasca-Spada's rich and original study examines this difficult part of Hume's philosophical writings and connects it to eighteenth-century works in natural philosophy, mathematics and literature. Focusing on Hume's discussions of the infinite divisibility of extension, the origin of the idea of space, geometry, and the notion of a vacuum, she shows that the central questions of Hume's 'science of human nature' - what does the 'science of human nature' reveal about the mind and its operations? what is experience? - underlie all of these discussions. Her analysis points the way to a reassessment of the central current interpretative problems in Hume studies.

An inspiring guide to creating beautiful contemporary prints using the gel plate printing method.Gel plates are reusable printing plates that allow you to print without a press using a variety of techniques that involve paint, stencils, household objects, collagraphs and botanical elements to name just some. Embark on a journey into the addictive world of gel plate printing and explore the endless creative possibilities that this form of monoprinting offers with experienced mixed media artist, Susan McCreevy, as your guide.Readers can expect to master the art of gel plate printing through clever layering techniques with a focus on creating beautiful botanical-inspired paintings. Susan will demonstrate how to create dynamic abstract background layers and experiment with papers such as wet strength tissue. Depth and complexity can also be added through the use of collagraph prints and hand-drawn elements. With these captivating details completed, readers will learn how to present their w

This highly readable, popular textbook for upper undergraduates and graduates comprehensively covers the fundamentals of crystallography and symmetry, applying these concepts to a large range of materials. New to this edition are more streamlined coverage of crystallography, additional coverage of magnetic point group symmetry and updated material on extraterrestrial minerals and rocks. New exercises at the end of chapters, plus over 500 additional exercises available online, allow students to check their understanding of key concepts and put into practice what they have learnt. Over 400 illustrations within the text help students visualise crystal structures and more abstract mathematical objects, supporting more difficult topics like point group symmetries. Historical and biographical sections add colour and interest by giving an insight into those who have contributed significantly to the field. Supplementary online material includes password-protected solutions, over 100 crystal st

If a man born blind were to gain his sight in later life would he be able to identify the objects he saw around him? Would he recognise a cube and a globe on the basis of his earlier tactile experiences alone? This was William Molyneux's famous question to John Locke and it was much discussed by English and French empiricists in the eighteenth century as part of the controversy over innatism and abstract ideas. Dr Morgan examines the whole history of this debate: Locke's own (negative) answer to the question, the contributions of Berkeley, Condillac, Diderot and Voltaire and the factual accounts of early cataract operations and modern laboratory studies. He shows how this debate is involved in the development and eventual separation of philosophy and experimental psychology after the eighteenth century and considers why the original question is effectively still unanswered. This is one problem-area with its intricate cluster of connected conceptual and technical difficulties which sugg