more from Willard Quine

Single Idea 11102

[catalogued under 18. Thought / E. Abstraction / 1. Abstract Thought]

Full Idea

Applying the operator '-ness' or 'class of' to abstract general terms, we get second-level abstract singular terms.

Gist of Idea

Apply '-ness' or 'class of' to abstract general terms, to get second-level abstract singular terms

Source

Willard Quine (Identity, Ostension, and Hypostasis [1950], 5)

Book Reference

Quine,Willard: 'From a Logical Point of View' [Harper and Row 1963], p.78


A Reaction

This is the derivation of abstract concepts by naming classes, rather than by deriving equivalence classes. Any theory which doesn't allow multi-level abstraction is self-evidently hopeless. Quine says Frege and Russell get numbers this way.