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1 - Concepts and Conceptions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2020

Luca Incurvati
Affiliation:
Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Summary

The chapter explains what conceptions of set are, what they do and what they are for. Following a tradition going back to Frege, concepts are taken to be equipped with criteria of application and, in some cases, criteria of identity. It is pointed out that a concept need not settle all questions concerning which objects it applies to and under what conditions those objects are identical. This observation is used to characterize conceptions: a conception settles more questions of this kind than the corresponding concept. On this account, a conception sharpens the corresponding concept. This view is contrasted with two other possible views on what conceptions do: one according to which they provide an analysis of what belongs to a concept, and one according to which they are possible replacements for a given concept. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the uses of conceptions of set. Along the way, the naïve conception of set, which holds that every condition determines a set, is introduced and a diagnosis of the set-theoretic paradoxes is offered. According to this diagnosis, the naïve conception leads to paradox because it requires the concept of set to be both indefinitely extensible and universal.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Concepts and Conceptions
  • Luca Incurvati, Universiteit van Amsterdam
  • Book: Conceptions of Set and the Foundations of Mathematics
  • Online publication: 09 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108596961.002
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  • Concepts and Conceptions
  • Luca Incurvati, Universiteit van Amsterdam
  • Book: Conceptions of Set and the Foundations of Mathematics
  • Online publication: 09 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108596961.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Concepts and Conceptions
  • Luca Incurvati, Universiteit van Amsterdam
  • Book: Conceptions of Set and the Foundations of Mathematics
  • Online publication: 09 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108596961.002
Available formats
×