Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Quine–Putnam indispensability argument

Quine–Putnam indispensability argument

 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page.

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/November 20, 2023 by Gog the Mild (talk) 21:19, 28 September 2023 (UTC)



The Quine–Putnam indispensability argument claims that we should believe in abstract mathematical objects such as numbers and sets because mathematics is indispensable to science. One of the most important ideas in the philosophy of mathematics, it is credited to W. V. Quine and Hilary Putnam (pictured). The roots of the argument can be traced back to thinkers such as Gottlob Frege and Kurt Gödel, but Quine introduced its key components, including naturalism and confirmational holism. Putnam gave Quine's argument its first detailed formulation, although he later expressed disagreement with some of the central aspects of the argument. Many counterarguments have been raised against the idea. An influential argument by Hartry Field claims that mathematical entities are dispensable to science. Other philosophers, such as Penelope Maddy, have argued that we do not need to believe in all of the entities that are indispensable to science.
 * Most recent similar article(s): Latest philosophy articles were A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (2 July 2022) and Confirmation bias (19 August 2022). Latest mathematics article was Group (mathematics) (14 March 2022).
 * Main editors: Shapeyness
 * Promoted: 30 July 2023
 * Reasons for nomination: There have only been a few philosophy TFAs in the past and I believe this would be the first TFA on the philosophy of mathematics. It would also be my first TFA.
 * Support as nominator. Shapeyness (talk) 22:12, 10 September 2023 (UTC)