From the 19th century onwards, some mathematicians and philosophers (G. Peacock, L. Conant, L. Lévy-Bruhl, L. Brunschvicg et al.), analyzed the numerical systems in use in so-called primitive societies as having a more “concrete” (or less “abstract”) character than those developed in more “advanced” societies. This article aims to better understand—and compare—what this opposition between “abstract numbers” and “concrete numbers” actually meant for these authors, as well as the characteristics of the “primitive mentality”—which they believed—this opposition would highlight. Résumé Dès le XIXe siècle, certains mathématiciens et philosophes (G. Peacock, L. Conant, L. Lévy-Bruhl, L. Brunschvicg et al.), ont analysé les systèmes de numération en usage dans les sociétés dites “primitives” comme ayant un caractère plus “concret” (ou moins “abstrait”) que ceux développés dans les sociétés plus “civilisées”. Cet article vise à mieux comprendre – et à comparer – ce que cette opposition entre “nombres abstraits” et “nombres concrets” signifiait pour ces auteurs, ainsi que les caractéristiques de la “mentalité primitive” que cette opposition entendait mettre en évidence.
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