Single Idea 10718

[catalogued under 6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 6. Mathematics as Set Theory / a. Mathematics is set theory]

Full Idea

Maddy takes a natural number to be a certain property of sui generis sets, the property of having a certain number of members.

Gist of Idea

A natural number is a property of sets

Source

report of Penelope Maddy (Realism in Mathematics [1990], 3 §2) by Alex Oliver - The Metaphysics of Properties

Book Reference

-: 'Mind' [-], p.19


A Reaction

[I believe Maddy has shifted since then] Presumably this will make room for zero and infinities as natural numbers. Personally I want my natural numbers to count things.