Full Idea
Number words as singular terms seem to refer to objects; numbers words in determiner or adjectival position are tied to counting. How these objects are related to counting is what the application problem is about.
Gist of Idea
How can words be used for counting if they are objects?
Source
Thomas Hofweber (Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics [2016], 06.1.3)
Book Reference
Hofweber,Thomas: 'Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics' [OUP 2018], p.160
A Reaction
You can't use stones for counting, so there must be more to numbers than the announcement that they are 'objects'. They seem to have internal relations, which makes them unusual objects.