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Full Idea
Russell toyed with the idea that there is nothing to being a natural number beyond occurring in a progression
Gist of Idea
Could a number just be something which occurs in a progression?
Source
report of Bertrand Russell (Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy [1919], p.8) by William D. Hart - The Evolution of Logic 5
Book Ref
Hart,W.D.: 'The Evolution of Logic' [CUP 2010], p.148
A Reaction
How could you define a progression, without a prior access to numbers? - Arrange all the objects in the universe in ascending order of mass. Use scales to make the selection. Hence a finite progression, with no numbers!