Why Finance Needs Philosophy (and Vice Versa): Some Epistemic and Methodological Issues

As the world economy has for better or worse become more and more dependent on the financial markets, a rethinking of the role of finance in both theory and practice is necessary. I argue that such a rethinking requires a new look at the theories of finance that is philosophical in kind. In effect, as Martha Nussbaum claims, if the absence of philosophy in economics is arguably one of the main reasons for the flaws in certain economic theories, the absence of philosophy in finance is one the main reasons for the flaws in our theories on financial systems. In this paper I discuss the mutual relations and benefits between finance and philosophy. First, I examine the contribution that philosophy can offer to finance by analyzing a few critical issues in financial ontology (Section 2.1), financial methodology (Section 2.2) and financial mathematics (Section 2.3). I argue that philosophy is essential to enabling finance to achieve the goals for which it was designed, not only because it is a valuable external addition, but also internally, since philosophy is the proper tool for bringing about new theories and approaches. Then, I examine the contribution that finance can offer to philosophy by analyzing the relationship between theory and practice (Section 3.1), data and hypothesis (Section 3.2), and prediction, description and control (Section 3.3) in the context of financial systems. I argue that finance can help us to rethink some philosophical tenets on these issues.

Logic, Language, and Mathematics

This Festschrift volume contains a series of specially commissioned papers by leading philosophers on themes from the philosophy of Crispin Wright and a previously unpublished paper by George Boolos, together with a substantial set of replies by Wright. Section I consists of five essays on Wright’s Neo-Fregean approach in the philosophy of mathematics, Section II consists of two essays on Wright’s work on vagueness, intuitionism and the Sorites Paradox, Section III contains two essays on logical revisionism, and Section IV consists of a single essay on the epistemology of metaphysical possibility. The volume also contains a full bibliography of Wright’s philosophical publications.

Academician CAIUS IACOB – a Brilliant Mathematician Fascinated by Mechanics

The paper presents some interesting aspects related to the biography and works of Romanian mathematician Caius Iacob (1912–1992). He was famous for his works in the fields of mathematical analysis, fluid mechanics, classical hydrodynamics and compressible-flow theory. At the age of 19, he graduated from the Mathematics Faculty in Bucharest, and then he went to Paris to continue his studies at the Faculty of Sciences, where he worked on a PhD thesis under the advice of famous French mathematician Henri Villat. On 24 June 1935, Caius Iacob successfully presented to the Sorbonne committee his PhD thesis about “Determination of conjugated harmonic functions with some limit conditions, and their applications in hydrodynamics”. Returning to Romania, Caius Iacob had a long and successful career teaching mathematics and mechanics at the universities of Timişoara, Cluj and Bucharest. His most important work is considered the “Mathematical introduction to the mechanics of fluids”. This book, providing original ways to work with classical hydrodynamics and compressible-flow theory, was published in Romanian in 1952 and in French in 1959. In 1955, he was elected a Corresponding Member of the Romanian Academy, becoming a titular Member in 1963. He was also President of the Mathematics Section of the Romanian Academy from 1980 until the end of his life, in 1992. In 1991, he initiated the foundation of the “Romanian Academy Institute of Applied Mathematics”. In 2001 the institute merged with the “Centre for Mathematical Statistics”, which had been created in 1964 by mathematician Gheorghe Mihoc, thus creating the “Gheorghe Mihoc – Caius Iacob Institute of Mathematical Statistics and Applied Mathematics” of the Romanian Academy.

Reasons for the failure of B.Tech Students in Mathematics using Combined Disjoint Blocked Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (CDBFCM)

At the present time most of the B.Tech. students are failing in Mathematics subject. The reason is they are not having fundamentals. Lack of practice also one reason. Because most B.Tech. Students are with attitude problem. In this paper we are going to investigate the causes for the failure of B.Tech Students in Mathematics with the help of Combined Disjoint Block Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (CDBFCM). W . B . V a s a n t h a K a n d a s a m y , A . V i c t o r D e v a d o s s s t a r t e d t h e t e c h n i q u e . T h i s t e c h n i q u e w i l l b e e f f i c i e n t i f t h e n u m e r a l o f c o n c e p t s a r e b i g i n f i g u r e a n d w e h a v e t o c l u s t e r t h e m . T h e t r o u b l e s a r e g o i n g t o b e d i s c u s s e d h e r e with the assist of Combined Disjoint Block Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (CDBFCM). F i n a l l y , w e a r e g o i n g t o i d e n t i f y t h e most important causes for the failure of B.Tech. students in Mathematics. For this we used neutrosophic device. There are five sections. Section one provides details regarding Fuzzy Cognitive Maps and the the causes for the failure of B.Tech. students in Mathematics. Section two provides basic concepts of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps, Combined Disjoint Block Fuzzy Cognitive Maps. Process of finding the unseen outline was given in section three. The difficulties are given in section four. After the completion of work decisions are given in the last section

MATHEMATIZING THE UNIVERSE

I think the best way to describe this article is by listing the CONTENTS - INTRODUCTION - Speculations about life, the universe and everything which have a basis in science SECTION 1 - STEFAN-BOLTZMANN LAW, RADIATION PRESSURE FROM THERMODYNAMICS, "VECTOR-TENSOR-SCALAR GEOMETRY" ANALOGOUS TO STRESS TENSOR / EIGENVECTORS / EIGENVALUES SECTION 2 - VECTOR-TENSOR-SCALAR GEOMETRY AND THE NUCLEAR FORCES SECTION 3 - THE STRESS TENSOR ON THE COSMIC LEVEL SECTION 4 - BITS AND TOPOLOGY – CONTINUING THE THEME OF THE MOBIUS STRIP AND MATHEMATICAL MATTER SECTION 5 - ANALOGY OF QUANTUM SPIN AND MATRIX ARRAY, WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC AND GRAVITATIONAL WAVES PRODUCED FROM PURE MATHEMATICS SECTION 6 - DARK MATTER, DARK ENERGY AND A HIGHER DIMENSION OF SPACE-TIME SECTION 7A - EXPLAINING OCEAN TIDES WHEN GENERAL RELATIVITY SAYS GRAVITY IS A PUSH CAUSED BY THE CURVATURE OF SPACE-TIME 7B - M-SIGMA 7C - GEYSERS ON SATURN'S MOON ENCELADUS 7D - A BRIEF HISTORY OF GRAVITY

Factors Affecting Mathematically Talented Females' Enrollment in High School Calculus

The purpose of this study was to determine if identifying factors existed that would explain differential mathematics participation among females in high school, specifically the enrollment in high school Calculus. The factors investigated were socioeconomic status, educational aspirations, the education of both parents, and the number of siblings. The database used for this study was taken from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS: 88) and the follow-up conducted in 1992. The sample for the present research was composed of females enrolled in algebra at the onset of this study who scored in the fourth quartile on the mathematics section of the standardized test. The results showed a difference between the two groups in mother's education, SES, and educational aspirations. However, when applying all factors together in a logistical regression, the results of this research determined that the factors did not have predictive value in determining the probability of a mathematically talented female enrolling in high school Calculus. This research suggests that some factors that affect course taking in the general population of students may not be generalized to mathematically talented females.

Research, Reflection, Practice: Gender and Mathematics: An Issue for the Twenty-First Century

Is gender still a salient equity issue for today's mathematics classrooms? Although considerable progress in women's participation in mathematics has been achieved in the last twentyfive years, inequities still exist. For example, women represent less than fifteen percent of the employed scientists and engineers in computer science, mathematics, agricultural science, environmental science, chemistry, geology, physics and astronomy, economics, and engineering (NSF 1996). Females score an average of thirty points lower than males on the mathematics section of the SAT. Despite more than two decades of intervention, parity remains a vision for the future. This article discusses our role as teachers in giving girls an equitable foundation in mathematics in the elementary grades.