Dr. Richard Lawrence: Hankel's formalism, Frege's logicism, and the analytic-synthetic distinction

Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker Colloquium, University of Tübingen Dr. Richard Lawrence (Tübingen): Hankel's formalism, Frege's logicism, and the analytic-synthetic distinction Abstract: "I will discuss some research on Hermann Hankel, an early proponent of a formalist viewpoint in the foundations of mathematics, and the relation of his view to Gottlob Frege's logicism. I will argue that Hankel had an important influence on Frege. In particular, Hankel's understanding of the analytic-synthetic distinction, and his argument against Kant's view of arithmetic, play an important role in Frege's understanding of his logicism in the Foundations of Arithmetic. Frege thinks of the distinction the same way Hankel does, and shares Hankel's basic strategy for arguing that arithmetic is analytic, rather than synthetic. Given these similarities, an important question arises about how Frege's view differs from Hankel's; I will close with some comments about the differences."