Combining Texts

Ideas for 'On the Question of Absolute Undecidability', 'Review of Bob Hale's 'Abstract Objects'' and 'fragments/reports'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these texts

display all the ideas for this combination of texts

---

1 idea

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 [Williamson]
	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'.