Project description
Giving Leibniz and his rejection of an infinite number a second chance
The term mereology comes from 'meros', the Greek word for 'part'. In philosophy and in mathematics, it is a formal theory of so-called parthood relations, a type of logic addressing the relationship of part to whole and to other parts within a whole. With its roots in philosophical reasoning prior to the time of Socrates, it was not until Leśniewski in the early 1900s that it received an exact mathematical formulation. The EU-funded REALE project will look at Leibniz's denial of the existence of an infinite number in the 1600s in the context of his mereological theory to demonstrate why it is not simply based on a faulty argument.
Objective
The overall aim of the project is to investigate a neglected, though highly significant, topic in Leibniz’s thought: his general conception of number in light of his mereological theory. Special attention will be given to how this mereological background affects Leibniz’s conception of the infinite, and in particular his denial of the existence of an infinite number. In this way, the project will reshape the standard view according to which Leibniz’s rejection of infinite number is simply based on a faulty argument. On the contrary, the project’s ambition is to bring out – from Leibniz’s reflection on this topic – a (mereological) foundational theory for mathematics that can be seen as an alternative with regard to the standard set theoretical one. This topic has the potential to bridge the gulf now existing between an important mereological foundation of mathematics, as the Leibnizian’ one, with contemporary approaches – made in the 20th century by Lesniesky and his school on one side, and David Lewis’s Parts of Classes, on the other side – which exploit mereology to provide a less ontologically committed foundations for mathematics then set theory. The project can thus fill a gap in Leibniz’s scholarship and, at the same time, shed light on these contemporary attempts, and possibly revive some of their key aspects.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
30123 VENEZIA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.