Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Mahaprajnaparamitashastra', 'Virtue Ethics: an Introduction' and 'Sets, Aggregates and Numbers'

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2 ideas

6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / c. Counting procedure
How many? must first partition an aggregate into sets, and then logic fixes its number [Yourgrau]
     Full Idea: We want to know How many what? You must first partition an aggregate into parts relevant to the question, where no partition is privileged. How the partitioned set is to be numbered is bound up with its unique members, and follows from logic alone.
     From: Palle Yourgrau (Sets, Aggregates and Numbers [1985], 'New Problem')
     A reaction: [Compressed wording of Yourgrau's summary of Frege's 'relativity argument'] Concepts do the partitioning. Yourgau says this fails, because the same argument applies to the sets themselves, as well as to the original aggregates.
Nothing is 'intrinsically' numbered [Yourgrau]
     Full Idea: Nothing at all is 'intrinsically' numbered.
     From: Palle Yourgrau (Sets, Aggregates and Numbers [1985], 'What the')
     A reaction: Once you are faced with distinct 'objects' of some sort, they can play the role of 'unit' in counting, so his challenge is that nothing is 'intrinsically' an object, which is the nihilism explored by Unger, Van Inwagen and Merricks. Aristotle disagrees...