Set Theory and its Philosophy by Michael Potter
Michael Potter presents a comprehensive new philosophical introduction to set theory. Anyone wishing to work on the logical foundations of mathematics must understand set theory, which lies at its heart. Potter offers a thorough account of cardinal and ordinal arithmetic, and the various axiom candidates. He discusses in detail the project of set-theoretic reduction, which aims to interpret the rest of mathematics in terms of set theory. The key question here is how to deal with the paradoxes that bedevil set theory. Potter offers a strikingly simple version of the most widely accepted response to the paradoxes, which classifies sets by means of a hierarchy of levels. What makes the book unique is that it interweaves a careful presentation of the technical material with a penetrating philosophical critique. Potter does not merely expound the theory dogmatically but at every stage discusses in detail the reasons that can be offered for believing it to be true. Set Theory and its Philosophy is a key text for philosophy, mathematical logic, and computer science.
a wonderful new book. . Potter has written the best philosophical introduction to set theory on the market * Timothy Bays, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
Michael Potter is University Lecturer in Philosophy, and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, at Cambridge. He is the author of Sets (1990), on which the present work draws but which was written for a more specialist readership, and Reason's Nearest Kin (2000).
| SKU | NIN9780199270415 |
| ISBN 13 | 9780199270415 |
| ISBN 10 | 0199270414 |
| Title | Set Theory and its Philosophy |
| Author | Michael Potter |
| Condition | New |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 2004-03-11 |
| Number of pages | 360 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | This is a new book - be the first to read this copy. With untouched pages and a perfect binding, your brand new copy is ready to be opened for the first time |
