THE LIMITS OF ABSTRACTION What is abstraction? To what extent can it account for the existence and identity of abstract objects? And to what extent can it be used as a foundation for mathematics? Kit Fine provides rigorous and sys- tematic answers to these questions along the lines proposed by Frege, in a book concerned both with the technical development of the subject and with its philosophical underpinnings. Fine proposes an account of what it is for a principle of abstraction to be acceptable, and these acceptable principles are exactly charac- terized. A formal theory of abstraction is developed and shown to be capable of providing a foundation for both arithmetic and analysis. Fine argues that the usual attempts to see principles of abstraction as forms of stipulative definition have been largely unsuccessful but there may be other, more promising, ways of vindicating the various forms of contextual definition. The Limits of Abstraction breaks new ground both technically and philosophically, and is essential reading for all those working on the philosophy of mathematics. ‘The text is essential reading for anyone interested not only in abstractionist philosophies of mathematics, but the philosophy of mathematics and language in general. The philosophical chapters display a consistently high level of rigour and insight ... the new philosophical problems raised are valuable and thought provoking, and promise to be the basis for much philosophical discussion to come. Roy Cook and Philip Ebert, British Journal of Philosophy of Science Kit Fine is Professor of Philosophy at New York University.This page intentionally left blankThe Limits of Abstraction KIT FINE CLARENDON PRESS - OXFORD