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What was Hilary Putnamâs indispensability thesis in the philosophy of mathematics?
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Hilary Putnam
American philosopher Hilary Putnam attending an international semiotics conference at San Marino University, October 1989.
Hilary Putnamâs indispensability thesis, developed alongside the American philosopher W.V.O. Quine, is a central argument in the philosophy of mathematics.
The thesis posits that because mathematical objectsâsuch as numbers, sets, and groupsâplay an essential and indispensable role in our best scientific theories of the world, we must grant them reality. In essence, if we accept the truth of scientific theories that rely on these mathematical entities to explain and predict phenomena, we are logically committed to the existence of those entities as well.1