Posted: Oct 09, 2011 3:06 pm
Teuton wrote:mizvekov wrote:
By that account, do you also believe the number '5' is real because it describes the number of fingers I have in my left hand?
There is a distinction between the numerical (number-word) "5" and the number 5, which is a nonlinguistic object; and there is a further distinction between the numerical <5> as an abstract word-type and its concrete word-tokens such as "5". (In the last sentence four concrete tokens of <5> are used.)
Ofcourse I meant here the non-linguistic object number 5, didn't think a distinction was warranted.
Teuton wrote:No, "5" stands for an object, while "number of fingers (of your left hand)" stands for a concept.
"The number of fingers of my left hand is 5" is an identity statement:
"The number of fingers of my left hand = 5."
("Number of fingers of my left hand" stands for a concept, but the definite description "the number of fingers of my left hand" stands for an object just like the numerical "5".)
The numerical "5" is part of the predicate "has 5/five fingers", which represents the property of having 5/five fingers; but this doesn't mean that "5" alone represents a property rather than an object.
Yeah, I used the words in a very informal way, what i meant was what you just said, "having five fingers" is/represents a property of my left hand, not that the number 5 itself was a property.