Single Idea 9151

[catalogued under 6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / c. Priority of numbers]

Full Idea

Benacerraf thinks of numbers as being defined by their natural ordering.

Gist of Idea

Benacerraf says numbers are defined by their natural ordering

Source

report of Paul Benacerraf (What Numbers Could Not Be [1965]) by Kit Fine - Cantorian Abstraction: Recon. and Defence §5

Book Reference

-: 'Journal of Philosophy' [-], p.18


A Reaction

My intuition is that cardinality is logically prior to ordinality, since that connects better with the experienced physical world of objects. Just as the fact that people have different heights must precede them being arranged in height order.