Single Idea 13939

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 2. Possibility of Metaphysics]

Full Idea

I cannot think of any possible evidence that would be regarded as relevant by both nominalists and realists about numbers, and would decide the controversy, or make one side more probable. Hence I regard the external questions as pseudo-questions.

Gist of Idea

No possible evidence could decide the reality of numbers, so it is a pseudo-question

Source

Rudolph Carnap (Empiricism, Semantics and Ontology [1950], 4)

Book Reference

Carnap,Rudolph: 'Meaning and Necessity (2nd ed)' [Chicago 1988], p.219