Mathematics and the Roots of Postmodern ThoughtThis is a charming and insightful contribution to an understanding of the "Science Wars" between postmodernist humanism and science, driving toward a resolution of the mutual misunderstanding that has driven the controversy. It traces the root of postmodern theory to a debate on the foundations of mathematics early in the 20th century, then compares developments in mathematics to what took place in the arts and humanities, discussing issues as diverse as literary theory, arts, and artificial intelligence. This is a straightforward, easily understood presentation of what can be difficult theoretical concepts It demonstrates that a pattern of misreading mathematics can be seen both on the part of science and on the part of postmodern thinking. This is a humorous, playful yet deeply serious look at the intellectual foundations of mathematics for those in the humanities and the perfect critical introduction to the bases of modernism and postmodernism for those in the sciences. |
Contents
3 | |
7 | |
20 | |
4 Wound of Language | 32 |
5 Beyond the Code | 50 |
6 The Expired Subject | 67 |
7 The Vanishing Author | 84 |
8 Say Hello to the Structure Bubble | 100 |
9 Dont Think Look | 119 |
10 Postmodern Enigmas | 138 |
Notes | 159 |
Select Bibliography | 177 |
Index | 183 |
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Common terms and phrases
appears argues argument Brouwer called Cavaillès Cavaillès's Chinese Room Church-Turing thesis claim concept consciousness construct continuity creative critique culture Derrida Descartes différance English translation quoted example experience Ferdinand de Saussure Fichte fictions finitary intuition finite formal structure formalist Foucault functionalist geometry Gödel grammar guage Hegel Heidegger Heidegger's Hilbert Hilbert's program human Husserl idea ideal ideal mathematics identity imagine impredicative impredicative definitions individual integers intelligence intuitionism intuitionist invoke Jacques Derrida justify Kant Kant's Kantian knowledge language games langue Leibniz linguistic logic look Mancosu mathe mathematicians mathematics matical meaning meta-mathematics mind Nietzsche notion objects philosophical Poincaré possible postmodern postmodern thought priori problem Pure Reason question random romantic romanticism romanticist rule Saussure Saussure's science wars seems semantics sense sequence signifiers space strange symbolic theorem theory things tion truth Turing machine ultimate understanding University Press Weyl Wittgenstein wrote