Single Idea 13864

[catalogued under 6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 6. Logicism / d. Logicism critique]

Full Idea

Frege's platonism seems to be in some tension with logicism: for the thought is unprepossessing that logic should dictate the existence of infinitely many objects of some kind.

Gist of Idea

Frege's platonism and logicism are in conflict, if logic must dictates an infinity of objects

Source

comment on Gottlob Frege (Grundlagen der Arithmetik (Foundations) [1884]) by Crispin Wright - Frege's Concept of Numbers as Objects Intro

Book Reference

Wright,Crispin: 'Frege's Conception of Numbers' [Scots Philosophical Monographs 1983], p.-1


A Reaction

Obviously Frege didn't think this, but then the crux seems to be that Frege believed that there was a multitude of logical truths awaiting discovery, while modern logic just seems to be about the logical consequences of things.

Related Ideas

Idea 13234 The view of logic as knowing a body of truths looks out-of-date [Beall/Restall]

Idea 10010 Frege's belief in logicism and in numerical objects seem uncomfortable together [Hodes on Frege]