How did the early phenomenologists understand the nature of mathematical objects, the epistemic and modal status of mathematical truths, and the role of intuition and symbolic representation in mathematical cognition? How relevant was the question of the possibility of objective mathematical knowledge to the formation of the phenomenological tradition?
The early phenomenological movement, starting with the work of Edmund Husserl, developed a peculiar approach to questions concerning the clarification of objective knowledge based on the description of the distinctive subjective acts that make knowledge possible. Mathematics and logic occupied a privileged position within these investigations. Other philosophers, such as Jacob Klein, Felix Kaufmann, Hermann Weyl, Dietrich Mahnke, and Oskar Becker, have critically engaged with Husserl’s insights to provide phenomenological contributions to the understanding of the different aspects of mathematical knowledge. Their work reveals the diversity of approaches within this tradition and highlights the significance of mathematics not merely as an object of philosophical inquiry, but also as a testing ground for phenomenology’s account of objectivity, ideality, and the conditions of knowledge.
This workshop invites contributions exploring the historical and philosophical intersections between early phenomenology, the philosophy of mathematics, and epistemology. It aims to investigate how phenomenological approaches to intentionality, intuition, evidence, and ideality illuminate the nature of mathematical sciences, as well as how mathematical problems shaped the development of phenomenological thought.
Particular attention will be given to the formative period of phenomenology, from its late nineteenth-century origins through the first decades of the twentieth century. Contributions addressing the relationship between early phenomenology and other philosophical, logical, and mathematical traditions are equally welcome. The conference seeks to bring together scholars working in phenomenology, the history of philosophy, and the philosophy of formal sciences.
Keynote speakers
Vincent Gérard (Université Clermont Auvergne), Mirja Hartimo (University of Helsinki), Carlo Ierna (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Bruno Leclercq (University of Liège), Felice Masi (University of Naples Federico II), Dominique Pradelle (Université Paris-Sorbonne)