Re: Intuitionism's (read "Philosophy's") Limits

[categories <cat-dist@mta.ca>]

Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 12:46:26 +0000 (GMT)
From: Dusko Pavlovic <D.Pavlovic@doc.ic.ac.uk>

According to William James <wjames@arts.adelaide.edu.au>:
 > 
 > Does category theory, being mathematics, have no associated philosophy?

I'm afraid, William, that this presumed association of mathematics and
philosophy is actually a bit of a sad romance: while some philosophies
do like to be associated with mathematics, mathematics (it doesn't
even have a proper plural) mathematics, most of the time, can't care
less.

While philosophy spends a lot of time defining itself and its
relationship with the world, mathematics tends to be a kind of work
some people like to do, taking up the world whichever way it comes to
them: as a model of a process, as a game of signs or pictures, as a
funny language shared between them and theri colleagues... Most
mathematicians just smirk not only on philosophy, but even on category
theory, or anything else deeply concerned with its own identity. They
just like to solve their problems, and sometimes solve other people's
problems, thereby gaining everyone's respect and admiration.

At least, that's the way I have seen it. Perhaps it helps with your
questions a bit.

-- Dusko Pavlovic