Hume's Principle or HP—the terms were coined by George Boolos—says that the number of Fs is equal to the number of Gs if and only if there is a one-to-one correspondence (a bijection) between the Fs and the Gs. HP can be stated formally in systems of second-order logic. Hume's Principle is named for the Scottish philosopher David Hume.
HP plays a central role in Gottlob Frege's philosophy of mathematics. Frege shows that HP and suitable definitions of arithmetical notions entail all axioms of what we now call second-order arithmetic. This result is known as Frege's theorem, which is the foundation for a philosophy of mathematics known as neo-logicism.
Read more about Hume's Principle: Origins, Influence On Set Theory
Famous quotes containing the words hume and/or principle:
“Men are much oftener thrown on their knees by the melancholy than by the agreeable passions.”
—David Hume (1711–1776)
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