The Necessities Underlying Reality
Connecting Philosophy of Mathematics, Ethics and Probability
$151.75
- Hardcover
208 pages
- Release Date
5 March 2026
Summary
This open access book covers four decades of work by the leading Australian philosopher, mathematician and historian of ideas, James Franklin.
These interlinking essays are connected by a core theme: the necessary structures in reality that allow certain knowledge of absolute truths. Franklin’s Aristotelian realist philosophy of mathematics shows how mathematical truths are directly about physical reality, and at the same time certainly and provably true. Ranging from…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781350467071 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1350467073 |
| Author: | Jeremiah Joven Joaquin, James Franklin |
| Publisher: | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Imprint: | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 208 |
| Release Date: | 5 March 2026 |
| Weight: | 460g |
| Dimensions: | 18mm x 154mm x 236mm |
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Critics Review
As Franklin reminds us, it is a failing of mathematics programs that they typically offer no courses on mathematics. They have courses on algebra, calculus, probability and so on, “but no course offering a conspectus of the subject.” In The Necessities Underlying Reality, Franklin goes one better. Not only does he explain how necessities underly mathematics in toto, he suggests that it is these same necessities that are key to understanding a much broader range of phenomena. It is a suggestion that is sure to prompt debate. – Andrew Irvine, Professor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia, Canada
Without talking down to his readers, Franklin explains Aristotelian-style realism and its implications for our understanding of everything, from maths through logic to ethics. It’s an exhilarating ride - wonderfully illuminating about what really matters - in particular for someone brought up in post-modernism’s attitude of suspicion about everything – Bernadette Tobin * Australian Catholic University, Australia *
We all knew that James Franklin’s philosophical rage was broad; now we can see how it all comes together. The Necessities Underlying Reality shows us that Franklin is a systematic philosopher. It argues for a realist theory of modality that spans mathematics, metaphysical modality, and morality. It is philosophically ambitious in Armstrongian vein and written in Franklin’s direct, no-nonsense style. As such, it is an important new instalment of Aristotelian realism. For the metaphysician and moral philosopher alike, the reading of this book is itself a necessity – Professor Peter Anstey * Australian Catholic University, Australia *
Jeremiah Joven Joaquin
James Franklin is Honorary Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Jeremiah Joven Joaquin is Professor of Philosophy at the De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.
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