Description
Book SynopsisBasic Laws of Arithmetic: Exposition of the System by Gottlob Frege is a seminal work that aims to establish arithmetic and mathematical analysis as logical systems derived from pure logic. Published in 1893, it represents a cornerstone in the history of mathematical and philosophical thought. Frege's primary objective was to substantiate logicism, the view that truths of arithmetic are not irreducibly mathematical, synthetic a priori, or empirical, but are instead expressions of logical truths. The book lays out three core tasks: defining logical propositions and rules of inference, and deriving arithmetic's fundamental truths from these logical principles. While Frege's meticulous approach to these tasks helped establish mathematical logic as a discipline, his work ultimately failed to achieve its purpose, as the set theory underpinning his system proved inconsistent, a flaw brought to his attention by Bertrand Russell. Despite its failure as Frege envisioned it, the work remains
