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Natural numbers and infinitesimals: a discussion between Benno Kerry and Georg Cantor

Proietti, Carlo LU (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:
author
publishing date
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}},
}