A view from lockdown: mathematics discovered, invented, and inherited
Abstract
The classical platonist / formalist dilemma in philosophy of mathematics can be expressed in lay terms as a deceptively naive question: Is new mathematics discovered or invented? Using examples from my own mathematical work during the Coronavirus lockdown, I argue that there is also a third way: new mathematics can also be inherited. And entering into possession, making it your own, could be great fun.
0