Federigo Enriques as a Philosopher of Science

Gabriele Lolli ()
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Gabriele Lolli: Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa

A chapter in Mathematicians in Bologna 1861–1960, 2012, pp 333-342 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract We discuss Enriques’ production and activity in the field of the philosophy of science. Enriques’ involvement in philosophy was stronger in the first years after graduation; the same years in which he became famous as a mathematician for his work in algebraic geometry are the years he formed the views he would maintain for his whole life. Enriques stressed the necessity of a psychological foundation of the scientific concepts, and gave an example of such an analysis with regard to the geometrical postulates in 1901. His general proposal is contained in the book Problems of science of 1906, which was translated in the USA in 1914; in the book he defended the cognitive value of science against the irrationalistic movements of the time. His position became known as a sort of critical anti-positivism, with an insistence on the attention to the historical growth of theories; he was later recognized by the leaders of neo-positivism as one of their founding fathers, not to his complete agreement. After 1906, Enriques became a prominent figure in Italian and european philosophy, and was engaged in fierce battles with the Italian idealistic philosophers. He did not appreciate the logical work of Giuseppe Peano, claiming that his formalism didn’t have the right psychological basis. Later, he dedicated himself and promoted the study of the history of science. The 1922 book Per la storia della logica is the second, and last, important philosophical work of Enriques, where he gave the best description and justification of the modern axiomatic method as rooted in the development of nineteenth century mathematics.

Keywords: Objective Knowledge; Scientific Fact; Axiomatic Method; Infinite Divisibility; Scientific Philosophy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-0348-0227-7_13

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