New Books in Science James Franklin and Jeremiah Joven Joaquin eds., "The Necessities Underlying Reality: Connecting Philosophy of Mathematics, Ethics and Probability" (Bloomsbury, 2025)
Dec 24, 2025
James Franklin, Emeritus professor and leading realist philosopher, explores fascinating connections between mathematics, ethics, and probability. He argues that absolute necessities in these fields are objective truths, accessible to all. Franklin critiques modern education for sidelining genuine proofs, emphasizing how mathematics trains precise thought. He discusses the inherent worth of individuals as a foundation for ethics, and raises intriguing questions about AI’s understanding of necessity, painting a picture of a reality rich with interlinked truths.
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Reality Contains Absolute Necessities
- Absolute necessities are real connections in the world, not linguistic conventions or mere facts.
- James Franklin gives examples from mathematics, evidence relations, and ethics to show necessity is mind-independent.
Ethics Mirrors Mathematical Objectivity
- Mathematical and ethical necessities are both mind-and-language independent and differ only in content.
- Franklin argues ethical truths about human worth are discoverable universally like mathematical truths.
Study Proofs, Not Intuition Alone
- Learn necessity through classical proofs rather than vague intuition; study Euclid's Elements to grasp why propositions must hold.
- Work through proofs like Pythagoras to develop reliable understanding of necessary truths.