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abouttheoriginofthenewexistencesandtreatthemlikethings.Platocalled
theseexistencesideas,andmaintainedthattheyaretheonlythingsworthyof
deliberation.Let3snotargueaboutthis.Anissuemoreworthyofargumentis
probablytheissueoftheoriginofideas.Inspiteofthefactthatwearetheir
makers(or,atleast,wethinkweare),wemakethemasaresultofthepressure
ofphenomena,andthisendowsthemwithaqualityofobjectivity.Ifwedonot
wanttolimitourselvestothemanipulationofobjectsandevents,thenideas
areindispensableforourthinking.Wefixtheirpropertiessoastoenableto
thinkaboutthesepropertiesasiftheywerecharacteristicsofexternalobjects.
ButitisanexaggerationtofollowthebelieversinPlatoforwhomtheworld
ofobjectsandphenomenaisamerereflectionoftheworldofideas.Wecan
gofurtherinthisoppositiontoPlato,likeAristotlewecansaythatideasare
theonlythingswecaninvestigateinarigorousmanner.
Inspiteofthefactthatideasevolve,theevolutionofmathematicalideasis
veryslow.Thisgivestheimpressionthatthestructureofmathematicalknowl-
edgegrowslikeabuilding.Thenotionofnumberdoesnotchange,andwhen
welookatthethreemillenniaoftheevolutionofgeometry,totheperiodfor
whichwehavedocumentaryevidence,thechangesofconceptsareminimal.
Theconceptsofphysicsarelessdurable.Butwehastentoaddthatittooktwo
millenniatoreplacethephysicsofAristotlewithitsopposite,thephysicsof
Newton.Someclaimthatthemostdurableprinciplesaretheprinciplesoflogic.
Timetoposeamorebasicquestion.Towhatextentarethemathematical
notionsweformindependentofthewayweobserveorevenofthenatureof
oursenses?
ThisquestionwasposedbyKant.Roughlyspeakinghisanswerwasthat
inourchoiceofmotionsbearingontimeandspacewearelimitedbyour
nature.Onceequippedwithsuchnotions1whetherinherited,learnedatan
earlyage,orpickedupwiththerestofthecultureofourenvironment1we
usetheminfixedform.
Accordingtoextremeviewsconnectedwiththisorientation,manis
equippedwithasenseoftimeandspacewhichimposesadefinitepatternon
theknowledgeheforms.Wecannotcompletelyrejectthispossibility,butin
linewithwhatwe3vesaidthusfar,westateareservation.Evenifitistrue
thatoursenseoftimeandspacedependsonthelimitationsofournature,this
sensewasshapedundertheinfluenceoftheoutsideworld,andthuscontains
ageneralcognitiveelement.TouseKant3sterminology,thisisacognitive
elementapriori.
Kant3sviewsareagoodreferencetoaveritablemazeofpresentationsphi-
losophywhichcanserveandthatadmitstomathematics.Wetookastepaway
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