Publication Date

1-1-1989

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Hudson, James L.

Legacy Department

Department of Philosophy

Abstract

Natural numbers, although they pervade much of mathematics, are among the most difficult entities for which to provide definitions. Although it is often overlooked, as the efforts of pure mathematics are directed toward the maximization of rigor, the development of sound definitions for numbers can be viewed as one of the most critical objectives of the discipline. This paper is an examination and a support for the efforts in this area of the German logician Gottlob Frege, and in particular of his landmark treatise die Grundlagen der Arithmetik. This work marked the first successful attempt to define numbers through appeal to pure logic alone, and stands as a significant achievement in the history of mathematical philosophy.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

24 unnumbered pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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