Single Idea 17451

[catalogued under 6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / e. Counting by correlation]

Full Idea

'Just as many' is independent of the ability to count, and we shouldn't characterise equinumerosity through counting. It is also independent of the concept of number. Enough cookies to go round doesn't need how many cookies.

Gist of Idea

We can know 'just as many' without the concepts of equinumerosity or numbers

Source

Richard G. Heck (Cardinality, Counting and Equinumerosity [2000], 4)

Book Reference

-: 'Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic' [-], p.199


A Reaction

[compressed] He talks of children having an 'operational' ability which is independent of these more sophisticated concepts. Interesting. You see how early man could relate 'how many' prior to the development of numbers.

Related Idea

Idea 17444 Husserl said counting is more basic than Frege's one-one correspondence [Husserl, by Heck]