Single Idea 14164

[catalogued under 9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 1. Unifying an Object / a. Intrinsic unification]

Full Idea

The only kind of unity to which I can attach any precise sense - apart from the unity of the absolutely simple - is that of a whole composed of parts.

Gist of Idea

The only unities are simples, or wholes composed of parts

Source

Bertrand Russell (The Principles of Mathematics [1903], §439)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'Principles of Mathematics' [Routledge 1992], p.466


A Reaction

This comes from a keen student of Leibniz, who was obsessed with unity. Russell leaves unaddressed the question of what turns some parts into a whole.