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Ideas for 'Quaestiones de Potentia Dei', 'Coming-to-be and Passing-away (Gen/Corr)' and 'Whitehead and the Rise of Modern Logic'

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2 ideas

6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 5. The Infinite / c. Potential infinite

13212	Infinity is only potential, never actual [Aristotle]
	Full Idea: Nothing is actually infinite. A thing is infinite only potentially.
	From: Aristotle (Coming-to-be and Passing-away (Gen/Corr) [c.335 BCE], 318a21)
	A reaction: Aristotle is the famous spokesman for this view, though it reappeared somewhat in early twentieth century discussions (e.g. Hilbert). I sympathise with this unfashionable view. Multiple infinites are good fun, but no one knows what they really are.

6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 6. Logicism / b. Type theory

21557	Russell confused use and mention, and reduced classes to properties, not to language [Quine, by Lackey]
	Full Idea: Quine (1941) said that Russell had confused use and mention, and thus thought he had reduced classes to linguistic entities, while in fact he reduced them only to Platonic properties.
	From: report of Willard Quine (Whitehead and the Rise of Modern Logic [1941]) by Douglas Lackey - Intros to Russell's 'Essays in Analysis' p.133
	A reaction: This is cited as the 'orthodox critical interpretation' of Russell and Whitehead. Confusion of use and mention was a favourite charge of Quine's.