b. 1950
Penelope Maddy (b. 1950) is an American philosopher of mathematics at UC Irvine, best known for her work on mathematical realism and naturalism. She initially defended a set-theoretic platonism grounding mathematical objects in physical reality, then developed a thoroughgoing mathematical naturalism holding that mathematics should be evaluated by its own internal standards rather than by external philosophical constraints.
Developed set-theoretic platonism locating mathematical sets as immanent in the physical world ('Realism in Mathematics', 1990)
Articulated mathematical naturalism, arguing philosophy should not legislate over mathematical practice ('Naturalism in Mathematics', 1997)
Analyzed the epistemological and methodological grounds for adopting new set-theoretic axioms (e.g., large cardinal axioms)
Distinguished Professor at UC Irvine and recipient of the Lakatos Award (2002)
Extended naturalist methodology to second philosophy, a ground-level empiricist approach to metaphysics ('Second Philosophy', 2007)