Single Idea 9803

[catalogued under 6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 4. Mathematical Empiricism / a. Mathematical empiricism]

Full Idea

102 horses are not as easily distinguished from 103 as two are from three, yet the horses may be so placed that a difference will be perceptible.

Gist of Idea

We can't easily distinguish 102 horses from 103, but we could arrange them to make it obvious

Source

John Stuart Mill (System of Logic [1843], 3.24.5)

Book Reference

Mill,John Stuart: 'System of Logic (9th ed, 2 vols)' [Longmans, Green etc 1875], p.150


A Reaction

More trouble for Mill. We are now moving from the claim that we actually perceive numbers to the claim that we could if we arranged things right. But we would still only see which group of horses was bigger by one, not how many horses there were.