Reflections on Michael Friedman's Dynamics of Reason

Corfield, David (2005) Reflections on Michael Friedman's Dynamics of Reason.

Abstract

Friedman's rich account of the way the mathematical sciences ideally are transformed affords mathematics a more influential role than is common in the philosophy of science. In this paper I assess Friedman's position and argue that we can improve on it by pursuing further the parallels between mathematics and science. We find a richness to the organisation of mathematics similar to that Friedman finds in physics.