These are the answers by mathematician
Robert M. Solovay to the
ten questions about intuitionism:
-
Do you agree that it is impossible to define a total
function from the reals to the reals which is not
continuous?
No.
-
Do you agree that the intermediate value theorem does not
hold the way that it is normally stated?
No.
-
Do you agree that there are only three infinite
cardinalities?
No.
-
Do you agree that the continuum hypothesis is a
meaningful statement that has a definite truth value,
even if we do not know what it is?
Yes.
-
Do you agree that the axiom which states the existence
of an inaccessible cardinal is a meaningful statement
that has a definite truth value, even if we do not know
what it is?
Yes.
-
Do you agree that for any mathematical question it is
easy to build a machine with two lights, yes and no,
where the light marked yes will be on if it is true
and the light marked no will be on if it is false?
Yes.
-
Do you agree that for any two statements the first
implies the second or the second implies the first?
Yes.
-
Do you agree that a constructive proof of a theorem
gives more insight than a classical proof?
Mu.
[short for "sometimes yes, sometimes no"]
-
Do you agree that mathematics can be done using different
kinds of reasoning, and that depending on the situation
different kinds of reasoning are appropriate?
Mu.
-
Do you agree that all mathematical truths are true,
but that some mathematical truths are more true than
other mathematical truths?
Mu.
The last two were the hardest for me. Is "every number
is the sum of four squares" more true than "there is an
inaccessible cardinal". I think not [it's just more evident]
but I'm not completely sure.