The Heuristic View - Logic, Mathematics, and Science

Description

The study of scientific discovery has been boosted by several recent philosophical investigations. These have challenged the mainstream philosophy of science and mathematics that has prevailed for the past century.

These investigations show that the study of scientific discovery is a central aspect in the philosophy of science, and that its treatment in terms of notions like ‘genius’, ‘enlightenment’ and ‘intuition’ are inadequate and must be replaced by ‘logical’, rational, and replicable processes and methods.

This contrasts with the mainstream view, which claims that the philosophy of science and mathematics cannot concern itself with the making and discovery of science and mathematics, but only with the finished products of that making and discovery. A recent example of investigation that contrasts with the mainstream view is the latest book by Carlo Cellucci, The Making of Mathematics: Heuristic Philosophy of Mathematics (2022, Springer, Synthese Library, volume 448), which offers an alternative approach to mainstream philosophy of mathematics, according to which it is possible to rationally investigate the making of mathematics.

This conference aims precisely at discussing the problem of discovery in science and mathematics and the possibility of defining its method.