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In foundations of mathematics, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of logic, formalism is a theory that holds that statements of mathematics and logic can be considered to be statements about the consequences of certain string manipulation rules. For example, Euclidean geometry can be considered a game whose play consists in moving around certain strings of symbols called axioms according to a set of rules called "rules of inference" to generate new strings. In playing this game one can "prove" that the Pythagorean theorem is valid because the string representing the Pythagorean theorem can be constructed using only the stated rules. According to formalism, the truths expressed in logic and mathematics are not about numbers, sets, or triangles or any other contensive subject matter — in fact, they aren't "about" anything at all. They are syntactic forms whose shapes and locations have no meaning unless they are given an interpretation (or semantics). Formalism is associated with rigorous method. In common use, a ''formalism'' means the out-turn of the effort towards formalisation of a given limited area. In other words, matters can be formally discussed once captured in a formal system, or commonly enough within something ''formalisable'' with claims to be one. Complete formalisation is in the domain of computer science. Formalism stresses axiomatic proofs using theorems, specifically associated with David Hilbert. A formalist is an individual who belongs to the school of formalism, which is a certain mathematical-philosophical doctrine descending from Hilbert. Formalists are relatively tolerant and inviting to new approaches to logic, non-standard number systems, new set theories, etc. The more games we study, the better. However, in all three of these examples, motivation is drawn from existing mathematical or philosophical concerns. The "games" are usually not arbitrary. Recently, some formalist mathematicians have proposed that all of our ''formal'' mathematical knowledge should be systematically encoded in computer-readable formats, in order to facilitate automated proof checking of mathematical proofs and the use of interactive theorem proving in the development of mathematical theories and computer software. Because of their close connection with computer science, this idea is also advocated by mathematical intuitionists and constructivists in the "computability" tradition (see below). == Deductivism == (詳細はdeductivism. In deductivism, the Pythagorean theorem is not an absolute truth, but a relative one. This is to say, that ''if'' you interpret the strings in such a way that the rules of the game become true ''then'' you have to accept that the theorem, or, rather, the interpretation of the theorem you have given it must be a true statement. (The rules of such a game would have to include, for instance, that true statements are assigned to the axioms, and that the rules of inference are truth-preserving, etcetera.) Under deductivism, the same view is held to be true for all other statements of formal logic and mathematics. Thus, formalism need not mean that these deductive sciences are nothing more than meaningless symbolic games. It is usually hoped that there exists some interpretation in which the rules of the game hold. Compare this position to structuralism. Taking the deductivist view allows the working mathematician to suspend judgement on the deep philosophical questions and proceed as if solid epistemological foundations were available. Many formalists would say that in practice, the axiom systems to be studied are suggested by the demands of the particular science. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Formalism (mathematics)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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