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Questions tagged [constructivism]

18 questions
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Why do universities not teach constructive mathematics to CS undergraduates?

I had a conversation with a user on the Internet. And it did indeed wake my interest regarding something that I had also been asking myself long ago. Why do so many universities still teach beginners in computer science classical mathematics and not…
Tetragrammaton
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How come intuitive thinking is related to constructing a proof?

I am researching Constructivism and Intuitionism. I can't understand why Intuitionism and Intuitionistic Logic are named as they are. Intuitionistic logic requires constructing a proof of every statement that is used. Therefore, for me, it feels…
NotSure
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What does mathematical constructivism gain us philosophically?

Constructivists restrict the kind of entities they are willing to let into the mathematical domain; thus, e.g., Leopold Kronecker did not accept transcendental numbers as well as other entities (see What was Leopold Kronecker's philosophical view…
L.M. Student
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What condition(s) must be met to claim that something exists?

What is the fundamental difference between something that exists and something that doesn't exist? What exactly are we claiming when we say that something "exists"? Is there a distinctive property that all existing things possess that all…
WokeBloke
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For a mathematical realist, is there a distinction between real mathematical objects and constructed mathematical objects?

Mathematical realists believe that mathematical entities exit independently of human minds. Mathematical objects have an objective independent existence, and they are discovered by mathematicians, not invented. But does this apply to all…
Alexander S King
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Actual and potential truth for neo-verificationists

Neo-verificationists such as Martin-Löf and Prawitz make a distinction between actual and potential truth of a proposition, roughly defined as follows: ... that a proposition A is actually true means that A has been proved, that is, that a proof of…
carina
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Is the axiom of dependent choice constructive?

Page xvii of Schechter's Handbook of Analysis and its Foundation says that the Principle of Dependent Choice(DC) is constructive. Is DC considered constructive? Different debaters may have different positions, but what are the reasons for those who…
Hayatsu
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Is perspectivism a subtype of relativism?

This question is motivated by a comment discussion from my previous question. From this article that was linked in a comment: “Perspectivism, or scientific relativism, is never relative to a subject: it constitutes not a relativity of truth but, on…
user64708
3
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2 answers

Does expressing an emotion change it?

Does expressing an emotion change it? A feeling is a sensation that has been checked against previous experiences and labelled. It is personal and biographical because every person has a distinct set of previous sensations from which to draw…
user35983
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Do constructivists (or intuitionists) reject real numbers, except the computable ones?

SEP has a bunch of pages on what (various flavors) of intuitionists or constructivists seem to accept as a model theory or as a set theory (they actually seem to diverge on the latter, in the sense of IZF vs. CZF, at least). I'm curious how that…
Fizz
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To what extent can reality be described as 'culturally constructed'?

I'm having this argument with my gf about the relevance of cultural constructivism to the real world. She argues that everything is 'culturally constructed' aka nothing exists outside the boundaries of the human definition. E.g rhythm is a…
Sifu
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How Relativistic is Social Constructivism?

Social Constructivism is a theory that cuts across a number of social science and humanities disciplines. Its fundamental claim is that certain aspects of social reality are not mind-independent. In International Relations, constructivists,…
Jay
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Reference Request for an introduction to constructive mathematics and intuitionistic logic

I have become deeply interested in intuitionist and constructivist logics after reading the well phrased answer of joberkmark here: Nondisprovable Claims And some of the works of Brouwer. I am looking for an introduction to these ideas, possibly…
user26166
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Do limitations on computability and computational resources have any consequences for epistemology?

Do Turing undecidability and computational complexity considerations (NP-hardness, etc...) have consequences for epistemology? If X function or propostion is undecidable or requires an intractable amount of resources to be calculated, is it still…
Alexander S King
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Things can exist even if it is impossible to provide concrete examples of it?

In mathematics, there are many things that can be rigorously proven to exist, but at the same time rigorously proven that no concrete examples of it can be given. This is a crazy idea for non-mathematicians. Have any philosophers studied things that…
Ma Joad
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