THE COMPUTER EXPERIMENT - THE SOURCE OF MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE

In the article, the status of the computer proof of the four-color theorem is discussed. After a short survey of contemporary literature, the general status of the mathematical proof (as an idealized logical procedure versus a part of mathematical practice) is discussed. The solution of the problem of the computer proof, which amounts to accepting the four-color theorem as a new axiom justified by the computer experiment, is considered (and rejected). Finally, the author argues that the best explanation is offered within the theoretical framework of quasi-empiricism.