René Descartes

If platonism about numbers is true, which views are false? (Mark ONE.) Group of answer choices both of the listed views would be false neither of the listed views would be false. physicalism nominalism

If platonism about numbers is indeed true, then it follows that one of the listed views would necessarily be false. Platonism holds that numbers are objective and abstract entities that exist independently of human thought. In this ontological framework, numbers possess a timeless and immutable nature, existing in a realm separate from the physical world. If we were to accept such a position, it becomes clear that physicalism would be the view that is false. Physicalism asserts that everything that exists is fundamentally physical, and that mental phenomena can be reduced to, or explained in terms of, physical processes. However, if numbers are truly objective and abstract entities, distinct from the physical realm, then physicalism, with its exclusive focus on the physical, would be inadequate to account for the existence and properties of numbers. For physicalism to hold true, it would be necessary for numbers to be reducible to physical entities or processes, which contradicts the fundamental nature of platonism. Therefore, if platonism about numbers is true, physicalism would be necessarily false. In contrast, nominalism, the view that denies the existence of abstract entities and holds that there are only particular and concrete individual things, would not necessarily be false in light of platonism. It is possible for nominalism to coexist with platonism, as one could simply argue that numbers are nothing more than human inventions or arbitrary labels used to describe and organize our perceptual experiences. While this would render numbers as nothing more than linguistic constructs or concepts, it would not necessarily refute the objective existence of abstract entities as postulated by platonism. Therefore, of the two listed views, physicalism would be the one that, under the assumption of platonism about numbers, would necessarily be false.