Mathematical, Astrological, and Theological Naturalism

Penelope Maddy's recent Naturalism in Mathematics contains a persuasive argument for the claim that we ought to evaluate mathematics from a mathematical point of view and reject extra-mathematical standards. Maddy considers the objection that her arguments leave it open for an ‘astrological naturalist’ to make an analogous claim: that we ought to reject extra-astrological standards in the evaluation of astrology. In this paper, I attempt to show that Maddy's response to this objection is insufficient, for it ultimately either (1) undermines mathematical naturalism itself, leaving us with only scientific naturalism, or (2) leaves open the possibility of other unpalatable naturalisms.