Ideas from 'Review of Bob Hale's 'Abstract Objects'' by Timothy Williamson [1988], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Mind' (ed/tr -) [- ,]].

green numbers give full details    |     back to texts     |     unexpand these ideas

---

1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 4. Conceptual Analysis

9184	We can't presume that all interesting concepts can be analysed

			Full Idea: We have no prior reason to suppose that philosophically significant concepts have interesting analyses into necessary and sufficient conditions.
			From: Timothy Williamson (Review of Bob Hale's 'Abstract Objects' [1988])
			A reaction: We might think that they are either analysable or primitive, and that failure of analysis invites us to take a concept as primitive. But maybe God can analyse it and we can't.

6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 1. Mathematical Platonism / a. For mathematical platonism

9183	Platonism claims that some true assertions have singular terms denoting abstractions, so abstractions exist

			Full Idea: The Fregean argument for platonism is that some true assertions contain singular terms which denote abstract objects if they denote anything; since the assertions are true, the singular terms denote.
			From: Timothy Williamson (Review of Bob Hale's 'Abstract Objects' [1988])
			A reaction: I am perplexed that anyone would rest their view of reality on such an argument. The obvious comparison would be with true remarks about blatantly fictional characters, or blatantly invented concepts such as 'checkmate'.