On Feb 11, 2009, at 2:16 AM, Matthew West wrote: (01)
> Dear John,
>
>> Chris,
>>
>> I agree that Quine admitted sets into his ontology.
>>
>> CM> If, however, you mean someone who rejects the existence
>>> of all abstract entities across the board, then Quine was
>>> no nominalist, as he argued that quantification over
>>> mathematical objects (specifically, sets) is indispensable
>>> to science.
>>
>> But Alonzo Church, who allowed much richer abstract objects
>> into his ontology, delivered a wonderful talk at Harvard with
>> the explicit intention of annoying Quine and Nelson Goodman:
>>
>> http://www.jfsowa.com/ontology/church.htm
>> The ontological status of women and abstract entities
>
> [MW] I think there are two different questions here:
>
> 1. Are there certain things like e.g. numbers and possible worlds?
>
> 2. Are they abstract or concrete?
>
> Even the first may be controversial, but even if you agree that
> these things
> exist, whether they are considered abstract or not is a different
> question
> (and arguably more controversial). (02)
Whether they exist or not, I think you have to say that numbers are
not concrete. You can't weigh seven. (03)
Pat (04)
>
> Regards
>
> Matthew West
> Information Junction
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> (05)
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