High School Feynman explains the foundations of arithmetic

[Liberty Bell]

A long time ago I read an explanation Richard Feynman did on how the concepts of arithmetic can be derived from basic principles, along the lines of Peano's axioms, but I don't remember where it was. Thanks.

 

[jedishrfu]

Perhaps this passage in the book: Second Philosophy: A Naturalistic Approach

https://books.google.com/books?id=d8MSDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA125&lpg=PA125&dq=feynman+peano+axiom+talk&source=bl&ots=2iH-vUOtlI&sig=zbWg3x1RsoK2stfhO0bK62yOqNY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy0dHAxIHWAhVp0YMKHaERC1AQ6AEINTAC#v=onepage&q=feynman peano axiom talk&f=false

From reading the passage, Feynman is mentioned in the Causal Theory example as a person someone has heard of and then makes some assertion about. I don't believe Feynman said it though. It appears that Kripke gave this as an example of a causal theory and then went on to relate how Peano's name got associated with the Peano Axioms.

Here's Feynman talking about Math and Physics at Cornell for the Messenger Lectures:



and they are classic Feynman. I love the multi-dimension joke.

 

[Liberty Bell]

Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but I remember him doing an explanation like his algebra lecture but going "further back," starting with sets and natural numbers, and explaining how the concept of "addition" is derived, and from there how you can create the concept of multiplication and other arithmetic operations.

 

[Asymptotic]

Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but I remember him doing an explanation like his algebra lecture but going "further back," starting with sets and natural numbers, and explaining how the concept of "addition" is derived, and from there how you can create the concept of multiplication and other arithmetic operations.

Might you be remembering elements from chapter 22 (Algebra) in volume 1 of the Feynman Lectures on Physics?

Caltech online version: http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/I_toc.html