The uses and abuses of mathematics in early modern philosophy: introduction

• Published in: Synthese (Dordrecht) Vol. 196; no. 9; pp. 3461 - 3464
• Main Authors: Demeter, Tamás, Schliesser, Eric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01-09-2019; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic disciplines; Attitudes; Early modern period; Education; Epistemology; Knowledge; Logic; Mathematics; Medicine; Metaphysics; Morality; Philosophy; Philosophy of Language; Philosophy of Science; S.I.: Use & Abuse of Maths
• ISSN: 0039-7857; 1573-0964
• DOI: 10.1007/s11229-017-1670-y

Although in modern science mathematization is an unquestionable ideal, this status was far from being unequivocal in early modern philosophy. There were clear tendencies, especially following the widespread reception of Newton’s Principia, toward the mathematization of all fields of knowledge from natural philosophy through medicine to moral philosophy. These tendencies manifested in various forms of taking math-ematics as the epistemic ideal to be adopted in any given field. The primary focus of this special issue is to unfold the philosophical roots and manifestations of this uneasiness in the early modern period, and explore the discontents and reservations that were formulated as epistemological, methodological and moral considerations. Another focus is on those commitments and attitudes to the value of a mathematical approach that became explicit in various practices of knowledge production. And the third focus is on exploring some of those cases where the authority of mathematics is exploited or undermined in the service of some hidden epistemic or non-epistemic purpose.