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Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience

Rob Fraser Orcid Logo, Juha Saatsi

Erkenntnis, Volume: 86, Issue: 5, Pages: 1119 - 1137

Swansea University Author: Rob Fraser Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1007/s10670-019-00146-x

Abstract

We demonstrate how real progress can be made in the debate surrounding the enhanced indispensability argument. Drawing on a counterfactual theory of explanation, well-motivated independently of the debate, we provide a novel analysis of ‘explanatory generality’ and how mathematics is involved in its...

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Published in: Erkenntnis
ISSN: 0165-0106 1572-8420
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2021
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68388
first_indexed 2024-11-29T13:46:46Z
last_indexed 2025-01-13T20:34:28Z
id cronfa68388
recordtype SURis
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spelling 2025-01-13T14:06:11.7797482 v2 68388 2024-11-29 Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience b672bd356b55dba1f5d104300a083215 0000-0002-1475-1863 Rob Fraser Rob Fraser true false 2024-11-29 SOSS We demonstrate how real progress can be made in the debate surrounding the enhanced indispensability argument. Drawing on a counterfactual theory of explanation, well-motivated independently of the debate, we provide a novel analysis of ‘explanatory generality’ and how mathematics is involved in its procurement. On our analysis, mathematics’ sole explanatory contribution to the procurement of explanatory generality is to make counterfactual information about physical dependencies easier to grasp and reason with for creatures like us. This gives precise content to key intuitions traded in the debate, regarding mathematics’ procurement of explanatory generality, and adjudicates unambiguously in favour of the nominalist, at least as far as explanatory generality is concerned. Journal Article Erkenntnis 86 5 1119 1137 Springer Science and Business Media LLC 0165-0106 1572-8420 1 10 2021 2021-10-01 10.1007/s10670-019-00146-x COLLEGE NANME Social Sciences School COLLEGE CODE SOSS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee British Academy (pf160035) 2025-01-13T14:06:11.7797482 2024-11-29T11:31:48.6294512 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Social Sciences - Politics, Philosophy and International Relations Rob Fraser 0000-0002-1475-1863 1 Juha Saatsi 2
title Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience
spellingShingle Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience
Rob Fraser
title_short Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience
title_full Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience
title_fullStr Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience
title_full_unstemmed Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience
title_sort Mathematics and Explanatory Generality: Nothing but Cognitive Salience
author_id_str_mv b672bd356b55dba1f5d104300a083215
author_id_fullname_str_mv b672bd356b55dba1f5d104300a083215_***_Rob Fraser
author Rob Fraser
author2 Rob Fraser
Juha Saatsi
format Journal article
container_title Erkenntnis
container_volume 86
container_issue 5
container_start_page 1119
publishDate 2021
institution Swansea University
issn 0165-0106
1572-8420
doi_str_mv 10.1007/s10670-019-00146-x
publisher Springer Science and Business Media LLC
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Social Sciences - Politics, Philosophy and International Relations{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Social Sciences - Politics, Philosophy and International Relations
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description We demonstrate how real progress can be made in the debate surrounding the enhanced indispensability argument. Drawing on a counterfactual theory of explanation, well-motivated independently of the debate, we provide a novel analysis of ‘explanatory generality’ and how mathematics is involved in its procurement. On our analysis, mathematics’ sole explanatory contribution to the procurement of explanatory generality is to make counterfactual information about physical dependencies easier to grasp and reason with for creatures like us. This gives precise content to key intuitions traded in the debate, regarding mathematics’ procurement of explanatory generality, and adjudicates unambiguously in favour of the nominalist, at least as far as explanatory generality is concerned.
published_date 2021-10-01T14:45:58Z
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score 11.048129

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