The Trouble with Numbers (the Forum)

How seriously should philosophical worries about mathematics be taken? And should mathematical results ever force our philosophical hands? Philosophers and mathematicians have often found plenty to disagree about throughout history, but there have been many fruitful interactions too. We indulge in a bit of group therapy, examining some key cases of philosophical and mathematical interaction. Does infinitesimal mathematics commit us to an infinitely divisible world? Do the prime mating cycles of cicadas tell us something about the existence of mathematical objects? Let’s run the numbers…

Speakers

Nicholas Bingham
Professor of Mathematics, Imperial College London

Tim Button
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Cambridge

Mary Leng
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of York

Adam Ostaszewski
Professor of Mathematics, LSE

Chair
Clare Moriarty
Fellow, The Forum