The Nature of Mathematics Given Physicalism

What is mathematics?

This book aims to explore the nature of mathematics given a physicalist ontology. It begins by outlining a physicalist account of the nature of mathematics presented by László Szabó, and proceeds to discuss the main objections faced by this account so as to assess the plausibility of physicalist views of mathematics.

It is concluded that it seems possible to accommodate mathematics within a physicalist ontology, and that a physicalist account of the nature of mathematics even seems most plausible, all things considered. This has unexpected and intriguing implications for the nature of mathematics, as such an account breaks down the widely accepted dichotomy between "mathematics" and "the physical world".