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Abstract This chapter offers a mathematical perspective on the question of linguistic idealism in order to challenge the claim that for the world to exist it must be expressible. On the basis of three mathematical case studies—modus ponens, the consistency of mathematics, and statistical models of the prime numbers—the chapter draws a distinction between mathematical knowledge and mathematical understanding in order to demonstrate that mathematical understanding is independent of linguistic formulability. It then uses this conclusion to argue that we do have a language–independent access to mathematics, which in turn suggests that the anterior existence of the mathematical cosmos was a prerequisite for the development of mathematical language, just as the anterior existence of the physical world was a prerequisite for the evolution of human language.
| Action | Title | Date | Authors |
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| Action | Title | Date | Authors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik | 1988-01-01 | Gottlob Gottlob | |
| The Consistency of Arithmetic | 2018-11-09 | Timothy Y. Chow | |
| Epiphenomenal Qualia | 1982-04-01 | Frank Jackson |