Re: The Difference between a Set and an Element

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:01:50 GMT, Nam Nguyen <namducnguyen@xxxxxxx> said:
Chris Menzel wrote:
On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:05:05 GMT, Nam Nguyen <namducnguyen@xxxxxxx>
said:
Frederick Williams wrote:
george wrote:
JohnCreighton_@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Frederick Williams wrote:
.... What is the physical difference between me and a set
containing me?
The difference is that you exist and the set containing you does
not. This allegation that sets can contain concrete objects is
misleading. Sets are abstract.
May not a set theory with urelemente have a person among its
urelemente?
I think you meant "... an abstraction of a person among its
urelemente?" Mathematics is abstract. Period.

Well, granted, it makes life much easier just to stipulate that things
are thus and so, PERIOD, because that's just what your gut tells you,
but there is nothing whatever about set theory or mathematics generally
that would prevent honest to God flesh and blood persons from serving as
legitimate urelements.

You are right: I just forgot the basic math that the natural numbers
are made of hydrogen atoms and this is why they're so light that they
float around in the mind!

An excellent argument! Nearly as cogent as "<random claim> PERIOD"! I
bow to you, sir; clearly, you have reduced my argument to absurdity.

.

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