FOM: background for Friedman's results

[Torkel Franzen]

  Steve Simpson says:

  >Are you aware that there are many well known theorems in pure
  >mathematics and f.o.m. that have no applications at all?  An example
  >in number theory is Fermat's last theorem.

  Fermat's theorem would be a spectacular application of a
combinatorial principle! I don't know why you should assume that I was
referring to applications outside mathematics.

  Your further comments add nothing to the point. It's unclear if
you are suggesting that whether Friedman's results are an epochal advance in
foundations does not, as I claimed, strongly depend on the applicability
of the combinatorial principles and the epistemological status of the
large cardinal principles.

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Torkel Franzen