ИСТИНА

The paper outlines a philosophical account of the interplay between pure and applied mathematics. This account is argued to harmonize well with the naturalistic philosophy of mathematics. The autonomy of mathematics is considered as a transitional form between theological and naturalistic views of mathematics. From the naturalistic standpoint, it is natural to understand pure mathematics through applied mathematics but not vice versa. The proposed approach to mathematics is interpreted as a revival of Aristotle’s philosophy of mathematics and owes a lot to James Franklin. Wigner’s puzzle of applicability is explained away as a survival of the positivist philosophy of mathematics.