You must be acquainted with Dantzig's "Number, the Language of
Science" and another Dover book whose name and author escape me for the
moment. The Material in notes and comments of my book "What is
Math Really" might be useful. There is a fairly long presentation
of the foundations of the complex number system. Books on math for
liberal arts sometimes have the material you are looking for.
When I remember the name of the other Dover book, I'll send it.
The author was a philosopher influenced by Wittgenstein.
Reuben Hersh