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Single Idea 18255

[filed under theme 6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / c. Priority of numbers ]

Full Idea

It is essential to a quantitative domain of any kind that there should be an operation of adding its elements; that this is more fundamental thaat that they should be linearly ordered by magnitude is apparent from cyclic domains like that of angles.

Gist of Idea

Addition of quantities is prior to ordering, as shown in cyclic domains like angles

Source

Michael Dummett (Frege philosophy of mathematics [1991], 22 'Quantit')

Book Ref

Dummett,Michael: 'Frege: philosophy of mathematics' [Duckworth 1991], p.279

Related Idea

Idea 18256 Quantity is inconceivable without the idea of addition [Frege]