Matemática, física y realidad en la obra de Manuel Atria

Abstract

The interests of the Chilean engineer and philosopher Manuel Atria Ramírez cover a variety of subjects and disciplines, but most of his published work focuses on philosophy of mathematics and physics. After a first phase of youth, of evident Thomistic inclination, his mature thought shows the influence of the great epistemological schools that thrive during the first half of the 20th century. Beyond illustrating the reception that was given in those years in the Latin American academic scene to the new European philosophical tendencies, we think that the concise expository style of the author and his deep understanding of mathematical physics and its history, have the merit to pose with freshness and originality the question referring to the ultimate foundation of mathematics, and its connection with reality. In this article we present and analyze the fundamental lines of Professor Atria`s philosophy of mathematics and physics, as well as those questions open for further research.

Keywords

• philosophy of mathematics
• maritain
• logicism
• formalism
• intuitionism