21-23 May 2014
Oslo, Norway
CONF/CFP: Abstraction: Philosophy and Mathematics
Summer school and workshop
University of Oslo, 21 - 23 May 2014
Organized by Salvatore Florio and ystein Linnebo
THEME
According to Frege, the notion of abstraction has a central role to play in a philosophical
account of classical mathematics. For instance, Frege regarded the direction of a line as
somehow ?abstracted from? the line in question, governed by the principle that the
direction of one line is identical with the direction of another just in case the former line is
parallel with the latter. Principles of this form are known as ?abstraction principles? and
play a central role in the neo-Fregean abstractionist programme initiated by Bob Hale and
Crispin Wright.
This combined summer school and workshop aims to take stock of the abstractionist
programme after three decades of intensive philosophical and technical study, as well as
to make progress on some questions that have recently received much attention, such as
the metaontology of abstraction and the variety of responses to the bad company
problem, including the possibility of a more ?dynamic? approach to abstraction (recently
advocated by ystein Linnebo, James Studd, and others), which sees abstraction as a
process whereby ever greater domains of abstracta are ?generated?.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
Matti Eklund, Bob Hale, ystein Linnebo, Agustn Rayo, Stewart Shapiro, Crispin Wright
CALL FOR PAPERS
A limited number of contributed papers will be accepted for presentation. For
consideration, please submit an extended abstract or a complete paper, ready for blind
review, to oystein.linnebo@ifikk.uio.no by February 15, 2014.
FUNDING
This event is made possible by the generous support of Kansas State University and the
University of Oslo.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 21
10:00-12:00 Tutorial I: State of the Art and Metaontology of Abstraction
14:00-17:00 Workshop
Thursday, May 22
10:00-12:00 Tutorial II: Abstraction Beyond Arithmetic
14:00-17:00 Workshop
Friday, May 23
10:00-12:00 Tutorial III: Bad Company and Dynamic Abstraction
14:00-17:00 Workshop
For any questions, please contact Salvatore Florio at florio@ksu.edu