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Single Idea 10812

[filed under theme 4. Formal Logic / F. Set Theory ST / 3. Types of Set / b. Empty (Null) Set ]

Full Idea

Should we accept the null set as a most extraordinary individual, a little speck of sheer nothingness, a sort of black hole in the fabric of Reality itself? Not that either, I think.

Gist of Idea

The null set is not a little speck of sheer nothingness, a black hole in Reality

Source

David Lewis (Mathematics is Megethology [1993], p.09)

Book Ref

-: 'Philosophia Mathematica' [-], p.9


A Reaction

Correct!


The 11 ideas from 'Mathematics is Megethology'

Mathematics reduces to set theory, which reduces, with some mereology, to the singleton function [Lewis]
Megethology is the result of adding plural quantification to mereology [Lewis]
Mathematics is generalisations about singleton functions [Lewis]
We can accept the null set, but not a null class, a class lacking members [Lewis]
I say that absolutely any things can have a mereological fusion [Lewis]
The null set plays the role of last resort, for class abstracts and for existence [Lewis]
The null set is not a little speck of sheer nothingness, a black hole in Reality [Lewis]
What on earth is the relationship between a singleton and an element? [Lewis]
Are all singletons exact intrinsic duplicates? [Lewis]
We don't need 'abstract structures' to have structural truths about successor functions [Lewis]
We can use mereology to simulate quantification over relations [Lewis]