Paradoxes of the Infinite (Routledge Revivals)

Paradoxes of the Infinite (Routledge Revivals)
Author: Bernard Bolzano
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2014-03-18
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1317748581

Paradoxes of the Infinite presents one of the most insightful, yet strangely unacknowledged, mathematical treatises of the 19th century: Dr Bernard Bolzano’s Paradoxien. This volume contains an adept translation of the work itself by Donald A. Steele S.J., and in addition an historical introduction, which includes a brief biography as well as an evaluation of Bolzano the mathematician, logician and physicist.

Infinity, Causation, and Paradox

Infinity, Causation, and Paradox
Author: Alexander R. Pruss
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2018-07-26
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0192538284

Infinity is paradoxical in many ways. Some paradoxes involve deterministic supertasks, such as Thomson's Lamp, where a switch is toggled an infinite number of times over a finite period of time, or the Grim Reaper, where it seems that infinitely many reapers can produce a result without doing anything. Others involve infinite lotteries. If you get two tickets from an infinite fair lottery where tickets are numbered from 1, no matter what number you saw on the first ticket, it is almost certain that the other ticket has a bigger number on it. And others center on paradoxical results in decision theory, such as the surprising observation that if you perform a sequence of fair coin flips that goes infinitely far back into the past but only finitely into the future, you can leverage information about past coin flips to predict future ones with only finitely many mistakes. Alexander R. Pruss examines this seemingly large family of paradoxes in Infinity, Causation and Paradox. He establishes that these paradoxes and numerous others all have a common structure: their most natural embodiment involves an infinite number of items causally impinging on a single output. These paradoxes, he argues, can all be resolved by embracing 'causal finitism', the view that it is impossible for a single output to have an infinite causal history. Throughout the book, Pruss exposits such paradoxes, defends causal finitism at length, and considers connections with the philosophy of physics (where causal finitism favors but does not require discretist theories of space and time) and the philosophy of religion (with a cosmological argument for a first cause).

The Book of Sand

The Book of Sand
Author: Jorge Luis Borges
Publisher: Dutton Books
Total Pages: 136
Release: 1977
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Thirteen new stories by the celebrated writer, including two which he considers his greatest achievements to date, artfully blend elements from many literary geares.

On the Brink of Paradox

On the Brink of Paradox
Author: Agustin Rayo
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2019-04-02
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0262039419

An introduction to awe-inspiring ideas at the brink of paradox: infinities of different sizes, time travel, probability and measure theory, and computability theory. This book introduces the reader to awe-inspiring issues at the intersection of philosophy and mathematics. It explores ideas at the brink of paradox: infinities of different sizes, time travel, probability and measure theory, computability theory, the Grandfather Paradox, Newcomb's Problem, the Principle of Countable Additivity. The goal is to present some exceptionally beautiful ideas in enough detail to enable readers to understand the ideas themselves (rather than watered-down approximations), but without supplying so much detail that they abandon the effort. The philosophical content requires a mind attuned to subtlety; the most demanding of the mathematical ideas require familiarity with college-level mathematics or mathematical proof. The book covers Cantor's revolutionary thinking about infinity, which leads to the result that some infinities are bigger than others; time travel and free will, decision theory, probability, and the Banach-Tarski Theorem, which states that it is possible to decompose a ball into a finite number of pieces and reassemble the pieces so as to get two balls that are each the same size as the original. Its investigation of computability theory leads to a proof of Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem, which yields the amazing result that arithmetic is so complex that no computer could be programmed to output every arithmetical truth and no falsehood. Each chapter is followed by an appendix with answers to exercises. A list of recommended reading points readers to more advanced discussions. The book is based on a popular course (and MOOC) taught by the author at MIT.

The Annotated Turing

The Annotated Turing
Author: Charles Petzold
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2008-06-16
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0470229055

Programming Legend Charles Petzold unlocks the secrets of the extraordinary and prescient 1936 paper by Alan M. Turing Mathematician Alan Turing invented an imaginary computer known as the Turing Machine; in an age before computers, he explored the concept of what it meant to be computable, creating the field of computability theory in the process, a foundation of present-day computer programming. The book expands Turing’s original 36-page paper with additional background chapters and extensive annotations; the author elaborates on and clarifies many of Turing’s statements, making the original difficult-to-read document accessible to present day programmers, computer science majors, math geeks, and others. Interwoven into the narrative are the highlights of Turing’s own life: his years at Cambridge and Princeton, his secret work in cryptanalysis during World War II, his involvement in seminal computer projects, his speculations about artificial intelligence, his arrest and prosecution for the crime of "gross indecency," and his early death by apparent suicide at the age of 41.

Mathematical Fallacies and Paradoxes

Mathematical Fallacies and Paradoxes
Author: Bryan Bunch
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2012-10-16
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0486137937

Stimulating, thought-provoking analysis of the most interesting intellectual inconsistencies in mathematics, physics, and language, including being led astray by algebra (De Morgan's paradox). 1982 edition.

Infinity and Paradox

Infinity and Paradox
Author: Manuel Agrião
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2021-09-10
Genre:
ISBN:

This is a journey that begins upstream of existence itself and ends with the contemplative acceptance of the human condition, in particular, the subjective integrity of each one. It is a journey that goes from the absolute to the relative, whose driving force is telescopic and invites the reader to make several intermediate stops to reflect on suffering, reality, identity, art, and more. There are 252 texts divided into 20 chapters that help to form a whatever perspective on the Infinite. This is a book of understandings to use as a shoe sole.

Approaching Infinity

Approaching Infinity
Author: M. Huemer
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-03-14
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9781137560858

Approaching Infinity addresses seventeen paradoxes of the infinite, most of which have no generally accepted solutions. The book addresses these paradoxes using a new theory of infinity, which entails that an infinite series is uncompletable when it requires something to possess an infinite intensive magnitude. Along the way, the author addresses the nature of numbers, sets, geometric points, and related matters. The book addresses the need for a theory of infinity, and reviews both old and new theories of infinity. It discussing the purposes of studying infinity and the troubles with traditional approaches to the problem, and concludes by offering a solution to some existing paradoxes.

Infinity

Infinity
Author: Ian Stewart
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2017
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0198755236

Ian Stewart considers the concept of infinity and the profound role it plays in mathematics, logic, physics, cosmology, and philosophy. He shows that working with infinity is not just an abstract, intellectual exercise, and analyses its important practical everyday applications.

Riddles in Mathematics

Riddles in Mathematics
Author: Eugene P Northrop
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2014-08-20
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0486780163

"Math enthusiasts of all ages will delight in this collection of more than 200 riddles drawn from every mathematical discipline. Only an elementary background is needed to enjoy and solve the tremendous variety of puzzles, which include riddles based on geometry, trigonometry, algebra, infinity, probability, and logic. Includes complete solutions and 113 illustrations"--