joanna bujes wrote:
> Forget Russell, read Wittgenstein. "The Philosophical Investigations" is a
> real treat.
>
i believe wittgenstein's cambridge lectures on the foundations of
mathematics might also be an interesting read in this matter. of
particular interest is the tussle between the hard-nosed turing and the
more philosophical wittgenstein (somewhat paralleled by this debate,
between ian and jim devine, itself ;-)). but please no! do not forget
russell! see below...
> Trust me; he _is_ the only worthwhile philosopher I've encountered in the
> twentieth century.
"only" is a bit tough!
but the russell that ian recommends we read is not the philosopher of
logical atomism or atheism or "the silliness of marriage" ;-). the
development of the formalization of mathematics triggered by frege
(peano et al) in the late 19th century and brought to its peak under
hilbert and russell, amidst the protests of the intuitionists, is imho
one of the most exciting episodes in the history of human thought.
--ravi
