Introduction

In this volume we survey the striking developments that have taken place in the philosophies of logic, mathematics and science in the twentieth century. The very use of a genitive case here bears eloquent testimony to the dramatic changes that have occurred. Prior to this century, few philosophers troubled to break ‘philosophy’ down into its constituent parts. Nor did they display any pronounced interest in the nature of philosophy per se, or the relation in which philosophy stands to science. Indeed, subjects that we now regard as totally distinct from philosophysuch as mathematics or psychology, and even physics or biology-were once all located within the auspices of philosophy.