Natural numbers and infinitesimals: a discussion between Benno Kerry and Georg Cantor
(2008) In History and Philosophy of Logic 29(4). p.343-359- Abstract
- During the first months of 1887, while completing the drafts of his Mitteilungen zur Lehre vom Transfiniten, Georg Cantor maintained a continuous correspondence with Benno Kerry. Their exchange essentially concerned two main topics in the philosophy of mathematics, namely, (a) the concept of natural number and (b) the infinitesimals. Cantor's and Kerry's positions turned out to be irreconcilable, mostly because of Kerry's irremediably psychologistic outlook, according to Cantor at least. In this study, I will examine and reconstruct the main points in the discussion around (a) and (b) and stress some interesting aspects of the philosophical and mathematical thought of Benno Kerry.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1585379
- author
- Proietti, Carlo LU
- publishing date
- 2008
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- history of logic, infinitesimals, history of mathematics, natural numbers
- in
- History and Philosophy of Logic
- volume
- 29
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 343 - 359
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:55449089003
- ISSN
- 0144-5340
- DOI
- 10.1080/01445340802025768
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 688a1fdc-f342-4cb9-9823-092965a3da3c (old id 1585379)
- alternative location
- http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/151499051-8000792/content~db=all~content=a904746389
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:15:25
- date last changed
- 2022-01-29 21:36:23
@article{688a1fdc-f342-4cb9-9823-092965a3da3c, abstract = {{During the first months of 1887, while completing the drafts of his Mitteilungen zur Lehre vom Transfiniten, Georg Cantor maintained a continuous correspondence with Benno Kerry. Their exchange essentially concerned two main topics in the philosophy of mathematics, namely, (a) the concept of natural number and (b) the infinitesimals. Cantor's and Kerry's positions turned out to be irreconcilable, mostly because of Kerry's irremediably psychologistic outlook, according to Cantor at least. In this study, I will examine and reconstruct the main points in the discussion around (a) and (b) and stress some interesting aspects of the philosophical and mathematical thought of Benno Kerry.}}, author = {{Proietti, Carlo}}, issn = {{0144-5340}}, keywords = {{history of logic; infinitesimals; history of mathematics; natural numbers}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{4}}, pages = {{343--359}}, publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}}, series = {{History and Philosophy of Logic}}, title = {{Natural numbers and infinitesimals: a discussion between Benno Kerry and Georg Cantor}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01445340802025768}}, doi = {{10.1080/01445340802025768}}, volume = {{29}}, year = {{2008}}, }