The semantic plights of the ante-rem structuralist

Philosophical Studies 175 (12):1-20 (2018)
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Abstract

A version of the permutation argument in the philosophy of mathematics leads to the thesis that mathematical terms, contrary to appearances, are not genuine singular terms referring to individual objects; they are purely schematic or variables. By postulating ‘ante-rem structures’, the ante-rem structuralist aims to defuse the permutation argument and retain the referentiality of mathematical terms. This paper presents two semantic problems for the ante- rem view: (1) ante-rem structures are themselves subject to the permutation argument; (2) the ante-rem structuralist fails to explain reference in a way that makes her account different to, and privileged over, that of her eliminativist rivals. Both problems undercut the motivation behind ante-rem structuralism.

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Bahram Assadian
University of Leeds

Citations of this work

Structuralist Neologicism†.Francesca Boccuni & Jack Woods - 2020 - Philosophia Mathematica 28 (3):296-316.
Platonic Relations and Mathematical Explanations.Robert Knowles - 2021 - Philosophical Quarterly 71 (3):623-644.
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References found in this work

Introduction to mathematical philosophy.Bertrand Russell - 1919 - New York: Dover Publications.
What numbers could not be.Paul Benacerraf - 1965 - Philosophical Review 74 (1):47-73.
Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology.Stewart Shapiro - 1997 - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press USA.
Mathematics as a science of patterns.Michael David Resnik - 1997 - New York ;: Oxford University Press.

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