Platonism, we recall, holds that abstract mathematical objects are just as real as ordinary physical objects and play analogous roles in their respective sciences (cf. §1.4). This suggests the same order of explanation as above, namely that mathematical objectivity is underpinned by the existence of mathematical objects, which secure and explain the objective truth-values of statements concerned with such objects. Frege rejects this order of explanation. He takes questions about the meaning of complete sentences to be explanatorily prior to questions about the reference of singular terms. On
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