About
The HHU Summer School “Philosophy of Mathematics Beyond the Armchair?!” aims at gathering young scholars with an interest into the philosophy of mathematics who want to explore new and innovative methodologies. Current trends show that philosophers of mathematics see the potential in applying various methods from other disciplines such as large corpus analyses, interview studies, or psychological experiments. We offer a platform to educate the upcoming generation in those methods. It should be noted that those methods are in principle valuable for other fields of philosophy as well.
An already established strand in the philosophy of mathematics integrates social aspects of mathematics into philosophical thoughts, because traditional philosophical approaches focusing exclusively on the nature of mathematics by excluding all human aspects were often enough criticized as being too idealized and far from reality. Prominently, Lakatos, Davis and Hersh, and Mancosu set the stage for an engaged investigation of mathematical practice beyond the armchair. But still today, the methodology for investigating mathematical practices as well as the philosophical scope of questions addressing social and practical aspects are not fixed and a lot of scholars try to settle these issues. This is the contemporary research background in which we see an excellent opportunity to integrate young scholars into the field.
During five days, the schedule will be split into a morning and afternoon session in which internationally highly reputed lecturers offer courses presenting their methods of expertise. The students will have the possibility to apply the methods and study the practical details. In some evening lectures, we will reflect on the limits and potential of empirical methods for the philosophy of mathematics together with prominent philosophers of mathematics. Further, a social get-together and an afternoon excursion is planned to guarantee exchange between the participants.
Instructors
- Bernhard Fisseni (Duisburg-Essen)
- Karen François (CLPS, Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
- Mikkel Willum Johansen (Copenhagen)
- Rik Pinxten (UGhent)
- Kevin Reuter (UZH Zurich)
- Bernhard Schröder (Duisburg-Essen)
- Henrik Kragh Sørensen (Copenhagen)
- Eric Vandendriessche (SPHERE, Paris)
- Roy Wagner (ETH Zurich) (tbc)
Lecturers
- Benedikt Löwe (Amsterdam, Cambridge & Hamburg)
- Ursula Martin (Edinburgh & Oxford)
- Helena Mihaljević (HTW Berlin)
- Keith Weber (Rutgers)
Application
The deadline for applications from HHU has been expanded to the 01/07/2022.
There is no participation fee. However, participants will need to cover their travel and accommodation expenses.
We especially encourage members of underrepresented groups to apply. Accessibility and inclusivity are necessary conditions for good philosophical work. They are also a matter of justice within the organisation and the profession.
Information on COVID-19
This event is planned as an in-person event to support learning and social interaction between the participants. However, if any measures are required in summer, the event might turn into a hybrid event.
Participants from outside of Germany can check the current requirements to travel to Germany on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.
Apply as a student of HHU
Apply as an external student
Organisation
The summer school is organised by Paul Hasselkuß (Düsseldorf), Deborah Kant (Hamburg), and Deniz Sarikaya (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). It is hosted and supported by Heinrich Heine University, and supported by Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the German Society for Analytic Philosophy, the German Society for Philosophy of Science, and by Christoph Kann (Düsseldorf).
