Abstract

ASSE DAYAN, Jacobo. Naturalismo, ficción y objetos matemáticos. Sig. Fil [online]. 2011, vol.13, n.25, pp.47-71. ISSN 1665-1324.

Quine's platonism regarding mathematical objects has been countered by fictionalist interpretations of mathematical discourse. Some of these interpretations are revisionist, while others are hermeneutic. In this essay I argue that all three of the philosophical positions mentioned are tenable, as the choice between them comes down to very fundamental philosophical intuitions concerning naturalism. To show this, I closely examine these positions, paying special attention the hermeneutic fictionalism, in account of it being the most novel of the three. I also suggest that this position is compatible with -and can become stronger if it is inserted in- a pluralistic conception of reality like the one advocated by William James.

Keywords : fictionalism; indispensability; mathematics; naturalism; ontology.