2+2=4? Mathematics lost between the pitfalls of essentialism and alternative truths
Résumé
This essay problematises the epistemic status of mathematical knowledge. It is based on the observation that essentialist epistemologies provide no solid basis while relativist epistemologies have not yet convincingly succeeded to explain the objectivity of mathematical knowledge. I will start with three examples from popular media which illustrate that awareness for the problem discussed here has already reached the interested public. I will shortly address popular answers to the problem, only to refute them. I will end the essay by discussions which stay close to the example of 2+2=4, ending with the presentation of possible directions for further understanding and research.
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