Lugano Philosophy Colloquia. Lorenzo Cocco

On Friday, February 27 at 4.30pm (CET), Room Multiuso FTL Building (USI west campus) 
Lorenzo Cocco (Warsaw University of Technology)

Do Mathematical Facts Have Physical Effects?

Abstract: Contemporary physical theories are platonistic in the modest sense that they assume the existence of sets and functions. I will argue that they are also Platonistic in a stronger sense. When they are not outright pythagorean, they posit pervasive correlations between the properties of physical systems and mathematical models. I give an argument that some of these correlations must be due to an interaction. The correspondence would be miraculous without any coordination, or some other noncausal explanation. An analogy with a version of the Access Problem due to Hartry Field will be examined.

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