It’s irrelevant to your point, but I was making a CogSci point. This stuff is being processed somewhere and it directly relates to representationalism, the nature of numbers, appearance and reality and such.
I know it doesn’t to go your distinction between number and numeral.
The name isn’t the thing. The thing is the thing, the name is the name that points to the thing or indexes it or is an abstraction from away. It’s General Semantics – that’s what you’re talking about ultimately.
Or it’s the finger that points to the moon isn’t the moon, but there’s no need for estoterics unless one wants to.
I was just making a deeper point that’s all. It’s relevant to the discussion, just not directly to your argument. Although, I’d say that your argument is an abstraction itself from the cognitive processes within that have been identified. Then again, I didn’t raise my hand in class either. I’ve heard versions of “nobody asked your opinion” many times and it didn’t matter. I don’t wait for permission, especially if I’m right. [or even if I’m wrong]