Class (philosophy)
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A class is a collection whose members either fall under a predicate or are classified by a rule. Hence, while a set can be extensionally defined only by its elements, a class has also an intensional dimension that unites its members. When the term 'class' is applied so that it includes those sets whose elements are intended to be collected without a common predicate or rule, the distinction can be indicated by calling such sets "improper class."
There is, in any case, a difference in how we talk about types or kinds. We say that
The concept of a class is similar to the concept of a set defined by its members.[1] Here, the class is extensional. If, however, a set is defined intensionally, then it is a set of things that meet some requirement to be a member. Thus, such a set can be seen as creating a type. Note that it also creates a class from the extension of the intensional set. A type always has a corresponding class (though that class might have no members), but a class does not necessarily have a corresponding type.
References
- ^ Antony Flew. Dictionary of Philosophy. p. 64.
External links
- "Class" as analytical term in philosophy, Philosophypages.com
- "Class" as an analytical feature of any Category or Categorical term, in the language of deductive reasoning
- "Class" as an aspect of logic, and particularly Bertrand Russell"s Principia Mathematica
- "From Aristotle to EA: a type theory for EA" quoted 26/10/2014.