Set Theory and its Philosophy

A Critical Introduction

Michael Potter (, Department of Philosophy, University of Cambridge)

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Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press
01 March 2004

Philosophy: logic; Philosophy of mathematics; Mathematical logic; Set theory

A comprehensive philosophical introduction to set theory. Anyone wishing to work on the logical foundations of mathematics must understand set theory, which lies at its heart. Potter offers a thorough account of cardinal and ordinal arithmetic, and the various axiom candidates. He discusses in detail the project of set-theoretic reduction, which aims to interpret the rest of mathematics in terms of set theory. The key question here is how to deal with the paradoxes that bedevil set theory. Potter offers a strikingly simple version of the most widely accepted response to the paradoxes, which classifies sets by means of a hierarchy of levels. What makes the book unique is that it interweaves a careful presentation of the technical material with a penetrating philosophical critique. Potter does not merely expound the theory dogmatically but at every stage discusses in detail the reasons that can be offered for believing it to be true.

By: Michael Potter ( Department of Philosophy University of Cambridge)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 241mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 653g
ISBN: 9780199269730
ISBN 10: 0199269734
Pages: 360
Publication Date: 01 March 2004
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Michael Potter is University Lecturer in Philosophy, and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, at Cambridge. He is the author of Sets (1990), on which the present work draws but which was written for a more specialist readership, and Reason's Nearest Kin (2000).

Reviews for Set Theory and its Philosophy: A Critical Introduction

a wonderful new book . . . Potter has written the best philosophical introduction to set theory on the market * Timothy Bays, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *