Event Detail

Is it possible to quantify over absolutely everything? Absolutists claim that it is, and relativists claim that it is not. A common criticism of relativism is that relativism cannot be articulated by its own lights. Don’t relativists quantify over absolutely everything when they say that it is impossible to do so?

I will argue that an analogous problem plagues absolutists. In my talk I will (i) introduce an attractive philosophical principle, the principle of mathematical freedom and (ii) argue that absolutists cannot articulate their position without violating this principle.