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Carnap, Tarski, and Quine's Year Together: Logic, Science, and Mathematics

Frost-Arnold, Gregory (2006) Carnap, Tarski, and Quine's Year Together: Logic, Science, and Mathematics. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

During the academic year 1940-1941, several giants of analytic philosophy congregated at Harvard: Russell, Tarski, Carnap, Quine, Hempel, and Goodman were all in residence. This group held both regular public meetings as well as private conversations. Carnap took detailed diction notes that give us an extensive record of the discussions at Harvard that year. Surprisingly, the most prominent question in these discussions is: if the number of physical items in the universe is finite (or possibly finite), what form should the logic and mathematics in science take? This question is closely connected to an abiding philosophical problem, one that is of central philosophical importance to the logical empiricists: what is the relationship between the logico-mathematical realm and the natural, material realm? This problem continues to be central to analytic philosophy of logic, mathematics, and science. My dissertation focuses on three issues connected with this problem that dominate the Harvard discussions: nominalism, the unity of science, and analyticity. I both reconstruct the lines of argument represented in Harvard discussions and relate them to contemporary treatments of these issues.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Frost-Arnold, Gregoryggfst@pitt.eduGGFST
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairRuetsche, Lauraruetsche@pitt.eduRUETSCHE
Committee MemberEarman, Johnjearman@pitt.eduJEARMAN
Committee MemberBelnap, Nuelbelnap@pitt.eduBELNAP
Committee MemberAwodey, Steveawodey@andrew.cmu.edu
Date: 28 September 2006
Date Type: Completion
Defense Date: 17 April 2006
Approval Date: 28 September 2006
Submission Date: 3 May 2006
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > History and Philosophy of Science
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: history of analytic philosophy; nominalism; semantics; unity of science
Other ID: http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-05032006-133314/, etd-05032006-133314
Date Deposited: 10 Nov 2011 19:43
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2016 13:43
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/7768

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