Ideas from 'Steps Towards a Constructive Nominalism' by Goodman,N/Quine,W [1947], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Journal of Symbolic Logic' (ed/tr -) [- ,]].

green numbers give full details    |     back to texts     |     unexpand this idea


8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 1. Nominalism / c. Nominalism about abstracta
We renounce all abstract entities
                        Full Idea: We do not believe in abstract entities..... We renounce them altogether.
                        From: Goodman,N/Quine,W (Steps Towards a Constructive Nominalism [1947], p.105), quoted by Penelope Maddy - Defending the Axioms
                        A reaction: Goodman always kept the faith here, but Quine decided to embrace sets, as a minimal commitment to abstracta needed for mathematics, which was needed for science. My sympathies are with Goodman. This is the modern form of 'nominalism'.