What is P and -P?

[Skepdick]

"So called 'same,' not literally."

In other words, in a conventional manner of speaking, but they're not literally the same or identical. Basically, it's a way of not insisting that everyone adapt to nominalism in how they speak about things, even though nominalism has things right.

So when you use the word "sameness" and the word "right" it's not a literal referent to a mental state?

[Terrapin Station]

It would be incredibly laborious and annoying in casual conversation to have to explain the nominalistic view of what conventional/colloquial-speak "sameness" amounts to every time something related to it comes up. So nominalists, in casual conversation, will usually just employ conventional language. That doesn't imply that they literally think that numerically distinct things are the same. Just that they're not going to explain all of that every time they'd need to.

[Terrapin Station]

"So called 'same,' not literally."

In other words, in a conventional manner of speaking, but they're not literally the same or identical. Basically, it's a way of not insisting that everyone adapt to nominalism in how they speak about things, even though nominalism has things right.

So when you use the word "sameness" and the word "right" it's not a literal referent to a mental state?

No. (ignoring the grammatical weirdness in the question, by the way--the referent isn't something mental, rather.)

[Skepdick]

It would be incredibly laborious and annoying in casual conversation to have to explain the nominalistic view of what conventional/colloquial-speak "sameness" amounts to every time something related to it comes up.

Yea! Because it's incoherent

So nominalists, in casual conversation, will usually just employ conventional language. That doesn't imply that they literally think that numerically distinct things are the same. Just that they're not going to explain all of that every time they'd need to.

I can't wait to hear your views on philosophy of mathematics!

If you are a nominalist, where the hell do numbers exist?

[Terrapin Station]

I can't wait to hear your views on philosophy of mathematics!

If you are a nominalist, where the hell do numbers exist?

Nominalism doesn't necessarily imply antirealism on mathematics. But yes, I'm an antirealist on mathematics. Mathematical objects, including numbers, are ways of thinking about relations. Usually it's initially based on experienced relations, but then for more complex mathematical ideas we think about relations among the abstractions we've created.

[Skepdick]

Nominalism doesn't necessarily imply antirealism on mathematics. But yes, I'm an antirealist on mathematics. Mathematical objects, including numbers, are ways of thinking about relations. Usually it's initially based on experienced relations, but then for more complex mathematical ideas we think about relations among the abstractions we've created.

But you are a physicalist in general. So if you can think about numbers then... they are just mental states. What else could they be?

But then you are an anti-realist (about your mental states).

This is so confusing!

[Terrapin Station]

I agree with a lot of mathematician Reuben Hersh's views on the ontology of mathematics, by the way. He wrote a great book called What Is Mathematics, Really?

https://www.amazon.com/What-Mathematics ... 8&me=&qid=

[Terrapin Station]

Nominalism doesn't necessarily imply antirealism on mathematics. But yes, I'm an antirealist on mathematics. Mathematical objects, including numbers, are ways of thinking about relations. Usually it's initially based on experienced relations, but then for more complex mathematical ideas we think about relations among the abstractions we've created.

But you are a physicalist. So if you can think about numbers then... they are just mental states. What else could they be?

Right, they're mental/brains states. Any thinking is. (Not sure why this would be confusing, by the way.)

[Skepdick]

I agree with a lot of mathematician Reuben Hersh's views on the ontology of mathematics, by the way. He wrote a great book called What Is Mathematics, Really?

https://www.amazon.com/What-Mathematics ... 8&me=&qid=

Mathematics is a language.

If you are a mathematical anti-realist, I also expect you to be a linguistic anti-realist.

[Skepdick]

Nominalism doesn't necessarily imply antirealism on mathematics. But yes, I'm an antirealist on mathematics. Mathematical objects, including numbers, are ways of thinking about relations. Usually it's initially based on experienced relations, but then for more complex mathematical ideas we think about relations among the abstractions we've created.

But you are a physicalist. So if you can think about numbers then... they are just mental states. What else could they be?

Right, they're mental/brains states. Any thinking is.

So how are you an anti-realist about thinking?

[Terrapin Station]

I agree with a lot of mathematician Reuben Hersh's views on the ontology of mathematics, by the way. He wrote a great book called What Is Mathematics, Really?

https://www.amazon.com/What-Mathematics ... 8&me=&qid=

Mathematics is a language.

If you are a mathematical anti-realist, I also expect you to be a linguistic anti-realist.

Yes. Meaning is an important part of language, obviously, and meaning is "only found in the head."

[Terrapin Station]

But you are a physicalist. So if you can think about numbers then... they are just mental states. What else could they be?

Right, they're mental/brains states. Any thinking is.

So how are you an anti-realist about thinking?

The real/anti-real distinction is a distinction of whether something is mental-only versus whether it occurs in the world external to minds. It maps to the objective/subjective distinction, as well as the cognitive/noncognitive distinction.

[Skepdick]

I agree with a lot of mathematician Reuben Hersh's views on the ontology of mathematics, by the way. He wrote a great book called What Is Mathematics, Really?

https://www.amazon.com/What-Mathematics ... 8&me=&qid=

Mathematics is a language.

If you are a mathematical anti-realist, I also expect you to be a linguistic anti-realist.

Yes. Meaning is an important part of language, obviously, and meaning is "only found in the head."

So you do reject denotation?

[Terrapin Station]

Mathematics is a language.

If you are a mathematical anti-realist, I also expect you to be a linguistic anti-realist.

Yes. Meaning is an important part of language, obviously, and meaning is "only found in the head."

So you do reject denotation?

Not at all. It's just that denotative meaning occurs in the head, as all meaning does.

[Skepdick]

The real/anti-real distinction is a distinction of whether something is mental-only versus whether it occurs in the world external to minds. It maps to the objective/subjective distinction, as well as the cognitive/noncognitive distinction.

So your mental states are not real?