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Wittgenstein's critique of the logicist definition of number in the 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'

Posted on:2006-07-06Degree:M.AType:Thesis
University:University of Ottawa (Canada)Candidate:Mulvihill, CoreyFull Text:PDF
GTID:2455390008950208Subject:Philosophy
Abstract/Summary:
The goal of this thesis is to present a coherent and exhaustive picture of Wittgenstein's critique of the logicist definition of number as presented by his philosophy of mathematics in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus . It does so by considering several critiques that Wittgenstein makes of the logicist's definition of number. Furthermore, this thesis compares Wittgenstein's operational definition of number---the central feature of Wittgenstein's theory---to Church's lambda calculus to demonstrate how Wittgenstein has a similar understanding of arithmetic.
Keywords/Search Tags:Wittgenstein, Logicist definition, Tractatus logico-philosophicus
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