Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2022
Early sections of the paper develop a view of the natural numbers and a view of counting which are suggested by the remarks of several modern philosophers. Further investigation of these views leads to one of the main theses of the paper : a special kind of quantifier, the “numerical quantifier” is essential to counting. The remainder of the paper suggests the rudiments of a new view of the natural numbers, a view which maintains that numerical quantifiers are one kind of natural number.
This paper is a revised version of one presented to the Department of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts. I should like to thank the members of that department and the reviewers of this journal for their helpful criticisms. Special thanks are due Professor B. A. Aune who was kind enough to provide many penetrating and important comments on this and an earlier version of this paper.