From Combinatorics to Philosophy

Ester Gasperoni Rota (auth.), Ernesto Damiani, Ottavio D’Antona, Vincenzo Marra, Fabrizio Palombi (eds.)0387887520, 9780387887524

From Combinatorics to Philosophy: The Legacy of G. -C. Rota provides an assessment of G. -C. Rota’s legacy to current international research issues in mathematics, philosophy and computer science.

This volume includes chapters by leading researchers, as well as a number of invited research papers. Rota’s legacy connects European and Italian research communities to the USA by providing inspiration to several generations of researchers in combinatorics, philosophy and computer science.

From Combinatorics to Philosophy: The Legacy of G. -C. Rota is of valuable interest to research institutions and university libraries worldwide. This book is also designed for advanced-level students in mathematics, computer science, and philosophy.

Table of contents :
Front Matter….Pages I-XVII
Front Matter….Pages 1-1
Gianco, my Brother….Pages 3-15
Remembering Gian-Carlo Rota….Pages 17-21
Front Matter….Pages 23-23
A Glimpse of Vector Invariant Theory. The Points of View of Weyl, Rota, De Concini and Procesi, and Grosshans….Pages 25-43
Partitions of a Finite Partially Ordered Set….Pages 45-59
An Algebra of Pieces of Space — Hermann Grassmann to Gian Carlo Rota….Pages 61-90
The Eleventh and Twelveth Problems of Rota’s Fubini Lectures: from Cumulants to Free Probability Theory….Pages 91-130
Two Examples of Applied Universal Algebra….Pages 131-143
On the Euler Characteristic of Finite Distributive Lattices….Pages 145-166
Rota, Probability, Algebra and Logic….Pages 167-181
A Symbolic Treatment of Abel Polynomials….Pages 183-196
Front Matter….Pages 197-197
Ethics in Thought. Gian-Carlo Rota and Philosophy….Pages 199-209
Indiscrete Variations on Gian-Carlo Rota’s Themes….Pages 211-228
On the Courage Needed to Do Phenomenology. Rota and Analytic Philosophy….Pages 229-240
Rota’s Philosophical Insights….Pages 241-249
“A Minority View” Gian-Carlo Rota’s Phenomenological Realism….Pages 251-260