BASS Sociology and Philosophy

This course will introduce students to the lively contemporary debate over the metaphysics of mathematics. Are there such things as numbers (or other mathematical objects)? If so, what they are like, and how do we manage to acquire knowledge of them? If these objects do not exist, then what is it that we know when we know that 2+2=4? 

Discussion of technicalities will be kept to a minimum, and no special expertise in mathematics will be assumed. The arguments discussed raise important questions about the relation of philosophy to mathematics, science, and ordinary talk and belief; the course will place particular stress on these issues.

The unit aims to: 

— give a detailed understanding of some important debates within contemporary philosophy of mathematics; 

— enable students to engage critically with some recent contributions to these debates; and 

— enhance students' powers of critical analysis, reasoning and independent thought. 

-Lectures (20 hours): delivery of content. 

-Tutorials (10 hours): small group discussion will facilitate student engagement. 

-Office Hours: students will have access to the course convenor through regular office hours. 

-VLE: learning materials (reading lists, lecture slides, etc.) available online (asynchronous). 

-Essay Plans: students will be encouraged to submit essay plans for formative feedback.

-Understand in detail some important debates within contemporary philosophy of mathematics.

-Engage critically with Twentieth and Twenty-First Century  contributions to these debates.

-Present carefully-argued and independent lines of thought.

-Undertake independent research. 

Essay 1 x2000 words, 50%

Essay 2 x2000 words, 50%

There will be a compulsory take-home mock exam on which you will receive written feedback.

We also draw your attention to the variety of generic forms of feedback available to you on this as on all SoSS courses. These include: meeting the lecturer/tutor during their office hours; e-mailing questions to the lecturer/tutor; asking questions from the lecturer (before and after lectures); and obtaining feedback from your peers during tutorials.

The School of Social Sciences (SoSS) is committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to students on their academic progress and achievement, thereby enabling students to reflect on their progress and plan their academic and skills development effectively. Students are reminded that feedback is necessarily responsive: only when a student has done a certain amount of work and approaches us with it at the appropriate fora is it possible for us to feed back on the student's work.

The following reading list is indicative, and students are not required to read all the publications listed. 

Shapiro, Stewart 2000. Thinking About Mathematics, chapters 1 and 2. Colyvan, Mark 2001. The Indispensability of Mathematics, chapters 1, 2, 4, 5.