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The sortal resemblance problem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Joongol Kim*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea

Abstract

Is it possible to characterize the sortal essence of Fs for a sortal concept F solely in terms of a criterion of identity C for F? That is, can the question ‘What sort of thing are Fs?’ be answered by saying that Fs are essentially those things whose identity can be assessed in terms of C? This paper presents a case study supporting a negative answer to these questions by critically examining the neo-Fregean suggestion that cardinal numbers can be fully characterized as those things whose identity can be assessed in terms of one-one correspondence between concepts.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Journal of Philosophy 2014

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