Logic and Philosophy of Science Group Talk (Patrick Girard, Auckland)

The Logic and Philosophy of Science Group is pleased to welcome as guest speaker Patrick Girard, an associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Dr. Girard works in philosophy of logic, metaphysics, and philosophy of mathematics.

Talk Title

The Frog and the Mouse Battle: Logic, Politics, and Justice

Talk Abstract

The 1920s saw the rise of modern logic: Hilbert’s formalist programme, Gödel’s theorems, and Brouwer’s intuitionism offered competing visions for the foundations of mathematics. At the centre was a clash between Hilbert and Brouwer over the law of excluded middle—a dispute that turned political in the wake of WWI. It ended with Hilbert expelling Brouwer from the Mathematische Annalen, prompting high-profile resignations, including Einstein’s. While the episode had political dimensions, it also reveals a form of epistemic injustice that is logical in nature. Drawing on my recent work in logic, I’ll offer a fresh analysis of the logical injustice at the heart of the coup that ultimately ended Brouwer’s career.

About the Logic and Philosophy of Science Group

One of six departmental Research Interest Groups, the Logic and Philosophy of Science Group hosts talks on logic, general philosophy of science, and philosophy of the particular sciences, as well as talks in allied areas such as formal epistemology, decision theory, and the metaphysics of science.