TO: Paul Benacerraf, Princeton
FM: Bruce E. Camber
RE: Your work with Hilary Putnam (we sat together in lectures), your CV (PDF), even your homepage and your Wikipedia overview; and, of course, there are many publications especially What Mathematical Truth Could Not Be in Benacerraf and His Critics, A. Morton and S. P. Stich, eds., Blackwell’s, Oxford, 1996, pp 9-59; and your work with Putnam, Philosophy of Mathematics CUP (l983). We would be remiss not to mention your articles, “What Numbers Could Not Be” (1965) and “Mathematical Truth” (1973).
This page: https://81018.com/2020/10/09/benacerraf/ Within this website:
• https://81018.com/hilbert-infinity/ Password: Infinite:
• Consider PBS Crisis in the Foundation of Mathematics | Infinite Series, Oct 19, 2017
Most recent email: 8 October 2021 @ 3:07 PM
Re: I can’t help myself; I am so excited to discover you are still in the fight.
I would love to do a relay race with you. Yes, you’d be on the post position at the start gate. We will call it, The Hilbert Event: A Run Out of the Infinite, Over and Across the Finite-Infinite Bridge and to the Finite Finish Line.
I am setting up the track here: https://81018.com/hypostasis/
Now, I know you’ve been opting out of all this madness, but please, I beg you, “One last dash to the finish line!”
Hilary will be grabbing the baton from you, so don’t be too surprised to see him again.
In this race, you’ll be taking on your best self, whatever year you decide.
Ed Zalta may pick it off Hilary and I will run it in. Sounds like a race!
I hope you are well and doing fine and still crazy after all these years!
-Bruce
First email: Wed, Jul 22, 2020 @ 3:27 PM
Dear Prof. Dr. Paul Benacerraf,
I often start letters to people with your background, “Now, I am so old I remember many lectures with Quine and Putnam, even a spirited dinner with them at Quine’s Beacon Hill home.” …but you have me beat by 16 years.
I apologize for my rather stupid questions for someone of your history and caliber:
1. Is your commonsense view of space and time ostensibly Newton’s absolute space and time?
2. If not, how do you characterize your understanding of space and time?
3. Wasn’t David Hilbert’s commonsense view of space and time ostensibly Newton’s absolute space and time?
Thank you.
Warmly,
Bruce
PS. Behind a security wall, I have placed a reference to your work with Hilary Putnam, Philosophy of mathematics, as well as Hilbert’s article, On the infinite. https://81018.com/hilbert-infinity/ Notice please that the Password is given on the top line: Infinite (case sensitive).