Why Numbers Are Embodied Concepts

Frontiers in Psychology

Martin H. Fischer¹ 

关键词: arithmetic;    numerical cognition;    number concepts;    embodied cognition;    philosophy of science;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02347

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Number concepts are often thought to be abstractions, for example because the numerosity of sets (e.g., their “three-ness”) is a feature apparently dissociated from the sensory experiences with specific set members, such as their size, shape, or color. In other words, quantity-specific experiences seem to vary arbitrarily when we enumerate three apples, three cars, three people, or three fingers. Hence, Frege (1884) and other logically-minded philosophers considered positive integers as ideal cognitive constructions for enumerative mental operations, removed from contextual constraints, yet preserving precision and generalizing across situations (e.g., arithmetic operations).

【 授权许可】

CC BY