[FOM] Psychological basis of Intuitionism

[Antonino Drago]

"Steve Stevenson wrote:


“Intuitionism is based on the idea that mathematics is a creation of
the mind. The truth of a mathematical statement can only be conceived
via a mental construction that proves it to be true, and the
communication between mathematicians only serves as a means to create
the same mental process in different minds.”
(http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/intuitionism/)

 The question, simply put, is
“Just how do we do it?”


In the 15th Century there existed a philosopher who supported the same view 
as Brouewer's, through more appropriate considerations. A good reference on 
the subject is T.P. McTighe: “Nicolas of Cusa‘s philosophy of science and 
its metahphysical background”, in G. Santinello (ed.): Niccolò Cusano agli 
inizi del mondo moderno, Sansoni, Firenze, 1970, 317-338, pp. 319-320, or, 
in more generic terms, E. Cassirer: Individuum und Kosmos in der Philosophie 
der Renaissance, 1927.
It is doubful if Brouwer knew Cusanus.
Cusanus anticipated several notions of modern science (set theory too, as 
Cantor recognised).
All the best
Antonino Drago