Mathematical knowledge

Roman Murawski

pp. 571-606

in: Ilkka Niiniluoto, Matti Sintonen, Jan Woleński (eds), Handbook of epistemology, Berlin, Springer, 2004

Abstract

Since its very beginnings mathematics played a special and distinguished role in the human knowledge. It was close to the ideal of a scientific theory, even more, it established such an ideal and served as a pattern of a theory. It has played an important role also in the development of the epistemology. In fact mathematics has been through ages a pattern of any rational knowledge and the paradigm of a priori knowledge. Hence the importance and meaning of philosophical and methodological reflections on mathematics as a science. Such reflections have accompanied mathematics since ancient Greece.