Phenomenological Reviews

Book | Chapter

192895

Pretense theory

William Lane Craig

pp. 327-371

Abstract

Pretense theory construes mathematical sentences as prescribed to be imagined true, so that mathematics is a sort of make-believe. Using Kendall Walton's incisive theory of fiction as a springboard, the philosophies of mathematics of Mario Bunge and Mary Leng are exposited as representative of a pretense theoretical approach. This approach is defended against objections based on the obvious truth of mathematics and the disanalogy of mathematics to fiction. A pretense theoretical approach is found to be especially plausible for set theory, which may be taken as a foundation for all of mathematics.

Publication details

Published in:

Craig William Lane (2017) God and abstract objects: the coherence of theism: aseity. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 327-371

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-55384-9_9

Full citation:

Craig William Lane (2017) Pretense theory, In: God and abstract objects, Dordrecht, Springer, 327–371.