Primitive recursive arithmetic and its role in the foundations of arithmetic
historical and philosophical reflections
pp. 161-180
in: P. Dybjer, Sten Lindström, Erik Palmgren, Göran Sundholm (eds), Epistemology versus ontology, Berlin, Springer, 2012Abstract
We discuss both the historical roots of Skolem"s primitive recursive arithmetic, its essential role in the foundations of arithmetic, its relation to the finitism of Hilbert and Bernays, and its relation to Kant"s philosophy of mathematics.
