The Importance of Quantification

The rudest numerical scales, such as that by which the mineralogists distinguish different degrees of hardness, are found useful. The mere counting of pistils and stamens sufficed to bring botany out of total chaos into some kind of form. It is not, however, so much from counting as from measuring, not so much from the conception of number as from that of continuous quantity, that the advantage of mathematical treatment comes. Number, after all, only serves to pin us down to a precision in our thoughts which, however beneficial, can seldom lead to lofty conceptions, and frequently descend to pettiness.

Notes:

Even rough numerical scales are better than nothing.

Folksonomies: measurement quantification

Taxonomies:
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Keywords:
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Philosophical Writings of Peirce

Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Peirce , Charles Sanders (2011-03-18), Philosophical Writings of Peirce, Courier Dover Publications, Retrieved on 2012-06-20

Source Material [books.google.com]