The philosophy of arithmetic

Frege and Husserl

Richard Tieszen

pp. 85-112

in: Leila Haaparanta (ed), Mind, meaning and mathematics, Berlin, Springer, 1994

Abstract

The work of Frege and Husserl on logic and mathematics might, from a modern perspective, be compared under three main headings: mathematical logic, philosophical logic, and the foundations of mathematics. Under the first heading there is little room for comparison. Frege surpassed nearly everyone in the history of logic, to say nothing of Husserl, in his technical achievements and discoveries. Husserl contributed virtually no technical work to the development of mathematical logic. Under the second heading, however, there is a great deal of room for comparison. Many of the issues raised by Frege and Husserl involving language, meaning, reference, judgment, platonism about logic, and other matters are still actively debated in research in philosophical logic.

Cited authors

Husserl Edmund