2022/08/17 by Papadopoulos, Athanase
#FOS: Mathematics #History and Overview (math.HO)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2208.12756
I discuss René Thom's approach to philosophy based on his mathematical background. At the same time, I will highlight his connection with Aristotle, his criticism of the modern view of science as a predictive process, his ideas on mathematical education, his position with respect to the French school of mathematics that was dominent in his time and his relationship with the philosophical community. I will also touch upon the connections between Thom's ideas and those of Leibniz, Riemann, Freud and others. The last version of this paper will appear as a chapter in the book Handbook of the History and Philosophy of Mathematical Practice (ed. Bharath Sriraman), Springer.