Single Idea 9554

[catalogued under 18. Thought / E. Abstraction / 3. Abstracta by Ignoring]

Full Idea

One can observe a system and focus attention on the relations among the objects - ignoring those features of the objects not relevant to the system. For example, we can understand a baseball defense system by going to several games.

Gist of Idea

We can focus on relations between objects (like baseballers), ignoring their other features

Source

Stewart Shapiro (Philosophy of Mathematics [1997], p.74), quoted by Charles Chihara - A Structural Account of Mathematics

Book Reference

Chihara,Charles: 'A Structural Account of Mathematics' [OUP 2004], p.79


A Reaction

This is Shapiro perpetrating precisely the wicked abstractionism which Frege and Geach claim is ridiculous. Frege objects that abstract concepts then become private, but baseball defences are discussed in national newspapers.