Mathematical explanation and indispensability arguments

Chris Daly, Simon Langford

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

43 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We defend Joseph Melia's thesis that the role of mathematics in scientific theory is to 'index' quantities, and that even if mathematics is indispensable to scientific explanations of concrete phenomena, it does not explain any of those phenomena. This thesis is defended against objections by Mark Colyvan and Alan Baker.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)641-658
Number of pages18
JournalPhilosophical Quarterly
Volume59
Issue number237
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2009
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Philosophy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mathematical explanation and indispensability arguments'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this