Hume on Space and Geometry
Update: 2019-04-20
Description
Graciela di Pierris (Stanford) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium titled "Hume on Space and Geometry". Abstract: Hume’s discussion of space, time, and mathematics in Part II of Book I of theTreatise has appeared to many commentators as one of the weakest parts of his work.I argue, on the contrary, that Hume’s views on space and geometry are deeplyconnected with his radically empiricist reliance on phenomenologically given sensoryimages. He insightfully shows that, working within this epistemological model, wecannot attain complete certainty about the continuum but only at most about discretequantity. Therefore, geometry, in contrast to arithmetic, cannot be a fully exactscience. Nevertheless, Hume does have an illuminating account of Euclid’s geometryas an axiomatic demonstrative science, ultimately based on the phenomenologicalapprehension of the “easiest and least deceitful” sensory images of geometricalfigures. Hume’s discussion, in my view, demonstrates the severe limitations of apurely empiricist interpretation of the role of such figures (diagrams) in geometry.
Comments
Top Podcasts
The Best New Comedy Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best News Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Business Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Sports Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New True Crime Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Joe Rogan Experience Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Dan Bongino Show Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Mark Levin Podcast – June 2024
In Channel
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States00:00
00:00
x
