Interesting. I wonder if you've misinterpreted me or if there's actually someone competent out there? Quick example if possible?
Heh, false dilemma, I'm afraid :). My only point was that modern platonists aren't making the mistake that you described. They still make plenty of other mistakes.
Mathematical platonists are "incompetent" in the sense that they draw incorrect conclusions (e.g., mathematical platonism). In fact, all philosophers of mathematics whom I've read, even the non-platonists, make the mistake of thinking that physical facts are contingent in some objective sense in which mathematical facts are not. Not that this is believed unanimously. For example, I gather that John Stewart Mill held that mathematical facts are no more necessary than physical ones, but I haven't read him, so I don't know the details of his view.
But all mathematical philosophers whom I know recognize that logical relations are different from causal relations. They realize that Euclid's axioms "make" the angles in ideal triangles sum to 180 degrees in a manner very different from how the laws of physics make a window break when a brick hits it. For example, mathematical platonists might say (mistakenly) that every mathematically possible object exists, but not every physically possible object exists.
Another key difference for the platonist is that causal relations don't hold among mathematical objects, or between mathematical objects and physical objects. They recognize that they have a special burden to explain how we can know about mathematical objects if we can't have any causal interaction with them.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/platonism-mathematics/#WhaMatPla http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/abstract-objects/#5
Checking these references doesn't show the distinction I was thinking of between the mathematical form of first-order or higher-order logic and model theory, versus causality a la Pearl.
Last summer, 15 Less Wrongers, under the auspices of SIAI, gathered in a big house in Santa Clara (in the SF bay area), with whiteboards, existential risk-reducing projects, and the ambition to learn and do.
Now, the new and better version has arrived. We’re taking folks on a rolling basis to come join in our projects, learn and strategize with us, and consider long term life paths. Working with this crowd transformed my world; it felt like I was learning to think. I wouldn’t be surprised if it can transform yours.
A representative sample of current projects:
Interested, but not sure whether to apply?
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And if you’re seriously interested in risk reduction but at a later time, or in another capacity -- send us an email anyway. Coordinated groups accomplish more than uncoordinated groups; and if you care about risk reduction, we want to know.
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At bottom, we’re looking for anyone who:
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ETA (as of 3/25/10): We are still accepting applications, for summer and in general. Also, you may wish to check out http://www.singinst.org/grants/challenge#grantproposals for a list of some current projects.