New Books Network Jeremiah Joven Joaquin and James Franklin eds., "The Necessities Underlying Reality: Connecting Philosophy of Mathematics, Ethics and Probability" (Bloomsbury, 2025)
Dec 24, 2025
James Franklin, Emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, delves into the connections between mathematics, ethics, and probability in his new book. He argues for the existence of absolute necessities in these fields, asserting that mathematical truths are directly tied to reality. Franklin critiques modern education's neglect of proof and emphasizes the importance of Aristotelian realism. He also explores how inherent human worth grounds ethical principles and discusses the implications of mathematical constraints on divine omnipotence.
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Reality Contains Absolute Necessities
- Absolute necessities are real relations in the world, not linguistic fixtures or mere definitions.
- James Franklin argues mathematical, ethical and evidential necessities are objective and true in all possible worlds.
Not Just Analytic Truths
- Analytic truths arise from language use, but the necessities Franklin emphasizes are about things themselves.
- These necessities are stronger than scientific or historical facts and hold across all possible worlds.
Learn Necessity Through Euclid
- Study Euclid's Elements and follow proofs to grasp mathematical necessity rather than relying on vague intuition.
- Training in proofs will attune you to ethical and logical necessities as well.