{"title":"A Potentialist Perspective on Intuitionistic Analysis","authors":"Ethan Brauer","doi":"10.1093/philmat/nkae025","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Free choice sequences play a key role in the Brouwerian continuum. Using recent modal analysis of potential infinity, we can make sense of free choice sequences as potentially infinite sequences of natural numbers without adopting Brouwer’s distinctive idealistic metaphysics. This provides classicists with a means to make sense of intuitionistic ideas from their own classical perspective. I develop a modal-potentialist theory of real numbers that suffices to capture the most distinctive features of intuitionistic analysis, such as Brouwer’s continuity theorem, the existence of a sequence that is monotone, bounded, and non-convergent, and the inability to decompose the continuum non-trivially.","PeriodicalId":49004,"journal":{"name":"Philosophia Mathematica","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Philosophia Mathematica","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/philmat/nkae025","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Free choice sequences play a key role in the Brouwerian continuum. Using recent modal analysis of potential infinity, we can make sense of free choice sequences as potentially infinite sequences of natural numbers without adopting Brouwer’s distinctive idealistic metaphysics. This provides classicists with a means to make sense of intuitionistic ideas from their own classical perspective. I develop a modal-potentialist theory of real numbers that suffices to capture the most distinctive features of intuitionistic analysis, such as Brouwer’s continuity theorem, the existence of a sequence that is monotone, bounded, and non-convergent, and the inability to decompose the continuum non-trivially.
期刊介绍:
Philosophia Mathematica is the only journal in the world devoted specifically to philosophy of mathematics. The journal publishes peer-reviewed new work in philosophy of mathematics, the application of mathematics, and computing. In addition to main articles, sometimes grouped on a single theme, there are shorter discussion notes, letters, and book reviews. The journal is published online-only, with three issues published per year.