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arXiv · 2103.04101

A view from lockdown: mathematics discovered, invented, and inherited

Alexandre Borovik
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Abstract

The classical platonist / formalist dilemma in philosophy of mathematics can be expressed in lay terms as a deceptively naive question: \emph{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.

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Alexandre Borovik. 2021-03-06. A view from lockdown: mathematics discovered, invented, and inherited. https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.04101

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