[FOM] Goedel on Philosophy

[Bruno Loff]

Dear FOMers,

Earlier, Ignacio Nattochdag wrote:
> It seems to me that any step forward in philosophy today must be made
> through mathematical problems,

And I disagree. It is my conviction that philosophy has made progress
in the twentieth century, and will continue to do so for many
centuries more. And while the philosophy of Mathematics is a very
interesting subject, it is by far not the only philosophical field
which makes "steps forward".

In my opinion, it is in the nature of philosophical problems that no
definite answers or solutions can be found. Progress in philosophy can
thus not be measured in the same way as progress in Mathematics, or
any scientific field.

I also think that formal, or mathematical, methods are inadequate to
study most (if not all) philosophical problems. Gian Carlo Rota has an
excellent article on this subject, entitled "On the pernicious
influence of Mathematics upon Philosophy" (in fact, it is one among
several brilliant articles in the collection "18 unconventional essays
on the nature of Mathematics").

Sincerely,
  Bruno Loff