Questions tagged [infinity]
The infinity tag has no usage guidance.
102
questions
1
vote
0
answers
39
views
Do intuitionists and predicativists have an overly "absolute" concept of infinity?
Sifting through the historical data, I get the impression that intuitionism is not strictly a case of finitism (much less ultrafinitism), but more like "parafinitism". Predicativism, in turn,...
- 7,006
3
votes
5
answers
188
views
Finite and infinite temporal duration
I am trying to wrap my head around different philosophical concepts of 'forever'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there to be three versions of 'forever' in terms of temporal duration:
...
1
vote
2
answers
95
views
How does this theory about infinity compare with known results in "infinity theory"?
I had a conversation about infinity with my friend yesterday and what I left with was a theory about infinity.
HERE goes.
I believe that there are different quantities of infinity because if you have ...
- 19
-1
votes
2
answers
69
views
I have a premise about infinite timeline, how is it?
I think that in an infinite timeline without a start, if such a timeline could exist, the only way things could work is like this:
The only things that can happen are those that already happened an ...
- 7
3
votes
7
answers
220
views
Applying logic to the question of whether all of existence is infinite or not
Here, I use to exist as generally as possible; if it is an object, it exists; if it is conceivable, it exists; if it is anything, it exists; even the properties and relations themselves exist. ...
- 148
-1
votes
1
answer
60
views
Can an infinite process be discontinuous? [closed]
The question is probably very, very easily answered with basic mathematical facts about infinity. Does it have any bearing on philosophy, what the answer is?
user62090
3
votes
2
answers
112
views
Is "infinity" simply an accident of brains/turing machines?
As far as I know, no actual "infinity" exists in the universe. For example, the age of the observable universe is thought to be 10 - 15 billion years, while its size seems to be about 93 ...
- 31
0
votes
0
answers
102
views
Is infinity an imperfect and unsubstantial epiphenomenon of the finite?
To my mind the concepts of the finite and the infinite are equally mysterious.
But recently I was surprised to encounter the view that infinity may be something different from what I have ...
- 311
0
votes
0
answers
92
views
Can a backwards infinite regress account for its own existence?
Suppose we have a domain of discourse D with an infinite collection of elements, and suppose that it is the case that the existence of each element x is dependent upon another element y (or collection ...
- 377
-4
votes
1
answer
222
views
Problem with infinity? [closed]
Note: See PART 2 for a better question.
1 kg of matter has infinite number of parts. Infinite number of things together can make an infinite amount of matter. 1 kg is not equal to infinite amount. We ...
- 77
2
votes
0
answers
115
views
Who came up with the traversing an infinity model of a guy eternally walking on tiles that appear and vanish behind him
I had a debate last year where I got my idea from a scholarly source that I didn't cite at the time. I'm looking to find it again.
As a rebuttal to the idea that an infinity cannot be traversed, this ...
- 21
-1
votes
1
answer
64
views
Can two things or x number of things that are not infinite create infinity?
Can two things or x number of things that are not infinite create infinity? Let's assume that x is not infinity. I am thinking that it's not the case, and there's no paradox here, but I just want to ...
- 2,086
0
votes
1
answer
134
views
Is there an alternative to infinity?
We can say that a discrete set with 1 and 2 allows us to count just from 1 to 2 but a sequential set with 1 and 2 allows us to count from 1 to 2 in an infinite way (1.1, 1.2, 1.3 ...) but no man can ...
- 11
9
votes
8
answers
6k
views
If the universe is finite does that nullify Godel's incompleteness, halting problem, and Church-Turing thesis?
I'm not well versed on these topics but they all seem to rely on infinity, mainly infinite recursion or infinite space of mathematics.
If there is no always "next" algorithm, the halting ...
- 1,854
2
votes
2
answers
229
views
What is the difference between infinity and endlessness?
Rudy Rucker, author of the book Infinity and the Mind, writes this:
To understand how something can be endless but not infinite, think of a circle. A fly can walk around and around the rim of a glass ...
- 203
3
votes
5
answers
242
views
If something can’t come from nothing, then has an infinite period of time already passed?
Assuming that something really can’t come from nothing (I know it’s controversial but if it’s true)...
Then at any given point in time (t), something exists and therefore something also existed at t-1....
- 215
2
votes
1
answer
104
views
Is there such a thing as ωth-order infinitary logic?
I've seen references to ωth-order logic sprinkled (sparsely) throughout my studies, though what properties this has compared to and contrasted with nth-order logics I wouldn't be able to tell you (I'm ...
- 7,006
0
votes
5
answers
209
views
Does size become fictional in an infinite universe?
Currently, we don't know if we live in an infinite or finite universe. But let's say, for the sake of argument, that we do live in an infinite universe. So that if we would have a space ship with an ...
- 21
4
votes
1
answer
153
views
Where does Schelling discuss the "bad" or spurious infinity?
I read in my Hegel Dictionary that Schelling also discusses a version of the "bad infinity" and gives as an example the repayment of debt by issuing more debt at the Bank of England.
I just ...
- 12.8k
4
votes
1
answer
194
views
What is the difference between Zeno's "Dichotomy" and Richardson's "Coast of England" paradox?
We assume, though I believe it can be debated, that Zeno's "Dichotomy" paradox is apparently "unreal." We can treat any given distance as the sum of an infinite regress of smaller ...
- 12.8k
4
votes
1
answer
342
views
Why is mathematical induction so applicable in mathematics?
Mathematical induction is a way to give finite proofs for (some of the) claims that concern infinitely many objects. For this reason it can be thought of as an approximation of the ω-rule. However, ...
- 295
3
votes
10
answers
3k
views
Does science require the exclusion of the "infinite"?
And if so, are there any interesting implications? According to the storyline, Galileo launched modern science by declaring the necessity of rendering physical events countable. What is countable must ...
- 12.8k
2
votes
0
answers
174
views
Did Augustine try to prove God's existence using Set Theory?
Some time ago I heard a professor of mine describe Augustine's Confessions as an attempt to prove God's existence using set theory. I didn't get a chance to ask him more of what he meant, and ...
- 470
0
votes
4
answers
184
views
Is infinity really infinite if we can encode it in a finite number of bits?
I'm asking this question because in some programming languages there is an object defining "infinity", which behaves as the mathematical infinity (e.g. it is indefinite if you multiply it by ...
1
vote
3
answers
241
views
The concept of infinite past [closed]
Is it possible to give an a priori answer to whether or not an infinite past is possible?
- 19
4
votes
7
answers
1k
views
Is it possible to flip a coin an infinite number of times and never land on tails?
If I would flip a coin an infinite number of times would it be possible to never land on tails? In other words if there's an infinite number of chances of something happening is it still possible for ...
- 57
0
votes
0
answers
193
views
Is it possible philosophically that the entire cosmic void with one or more universe/s inside it will stop exist eternally?
As a conscious agent who suddenly appeared in this cosmic void as a child to my parents and got a consistent memory since about the age of 3;
With time I have learned of the question "why is there ...
1
vote
1
answer
227
views
Does human conciousness "prove" that God exists?
I'm aware this question assumes our universe isn't an infinite regression.
The logic is as follows:
A is the source of everything. B exists. B came from A. Therefore B is an attribute of A.
A being ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
88
views
Stack vs. Queue Brainteaser [closed]
So I have a thought in my head I was wondering if anyone could offer wisdom on, and excuse me if this is a silly question or is not philosophical in nature. The question is basically this:
Let's ...
- 123
1
vote
4
answers
686
views
Would it be logically possible that the Universe has a beginning in time but an infinite amount of time has elapsed since this beginning?
Imagine that the Universe had a temporal beginning but no temporal end. At the beginning the Universe has a finite size, and as time passes its size increases exponentially. And the number of ...
- 111
2
votes
0
answers
173
views
Is this general argument against immortality valid?
I found the following argument here (although the paper is about a different topic):
A General Argument Against Immortality:
The method of Theory Confirmation can be applied to the question of ...
- 21
2
votes
3
answers
143
views
Do questions of Infinite regress, uncased cause and nothingness just point to our limits?
A lot of debates and conversations with theists seem to end up with the "ultimate" questions where the questions themselves seem to me to be conceptual/linguistic/psychological dead ends.
Infinite ...
- 21
1
vote
2
answers
698
views
Theology of set theory
Absolute space and time are said to emanate from Aristotle. The Church acted as custodian of these concepts from early on up to recent times.
I am thinking about another issue, namely that of ...
- 473
1
vote
1
answer
447
views
Can the Universe Be Infinite?
Some think that the universe is infinite. To convince one in the creditability of the idea they point mainly at our inability to conceive of its spatial limits. Hence, here, I use 'infinity' (of the ...
- 25
6
votes
8
answers
3k
views
Infinite past with a beginning?
I can conceive of an infinite past with a beginning. I can in fact represent this idea by a simple diagram, part analogical, part symbolic. So, to me, this idea is a logical possibility.
I initially ...
- 5,307
1
vote
2
answers
145
views
Perpetual Division
I recall a story about a philosopher who proposed an idea that everything is essentially perpetually divisible. That is to say, you can divide a whole into two halves and for each half (regarded as ...
- 119
3
votes
1
answer
249
views
Does infinity in philosophy reduce to philosophy of mathematics?
It seems to me that any modern philosophical investigation of infinity reduces to looking at the mathematical concept of infinity (as introduced by Georg Cantor) and then delving into philosophy of ...
- 4,275
0
votes
1
answer
192
views
Infinity in modern integration theory
The Riemann integral itself doesn't work with infinity (±∞) as “endpoints”, you have to take a detour by calculating the integral for arbitrary endpoints ±z and then take the limit for z→∞, which ...
- 4,275
7
votes
4
answers
492
views
Is there an alternative to Cantor's cardinalities that makes proper subsets smaller than their sets?
Cantor defined an infinite set as a set whose subset can be placed in a one-to-one correspondence with its subset. That is, take the set of all natural numbers: {0, 1, 2, 3, 4,...}. From that set, you ...
- 233
3
votes
3
answers
308
views
What's the difference between infinite divisibility and infinte extension?
I understand that most people would say that time, such as the time it takes to write this question, is infinitely divisible. But I'm guessing it's unusual to suppose that makes time infinitely ...
user35983
-1
votes
1
answer
261
views
Are there any good philosophical arguments for or against Cantor's theorem, other than the ones that Cantor came up with?
I am looking for philosophical arguments for and against Cantor's theorem other than the ones Cantor came up with, if you know any, can you present them or a link to them?
I post this in philosophy ...
- 115
0
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Can infinity have a beginning? [closed]
I have trouble with the mathematical notion of infinity.
Example: Consider all of the natural numbers. It has a beginning, therefore it is bordered, therefore it cannot be infinity.
Considered the ...
- 283
1
vote
0
answers
57
views
Are there any arguments for why something past-eternal must necessarily be future-eternal as well?
If we assume that something has always existed in the past, what reason is there to assume that it won't perish in the future?
I pondered on it and I wondered whether the following argument works: ...
- 410
-3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can you divide the natural numbers in half sequentially? [closed]
My brief stint on SE has been quite interesting because it forced me to make the premises of my inquiry more explicit. I resisted this initially simply for reasons of economy, but economy proved to be ...
- 13
4
votes
4
answers
10k
views
Is it possible that we are stuck in a loop of endless life?
There are three assumptions for the question.
1) The flow of time is permanent.
2) The universe is repeatedly destroyed and recreated.
3) The initial physical structure of a brain at birth determines ...
- 41
8
votes
4
answers
590
views
Is actual infinity physical infinity? Or just the axiom of infinity?
I've always been a little confused on this point.
My (second-hand) understanding of Aristotle's difference between potential and actual infinity is this:
We all have an intuition of the counting ...
- 2,877
2
votes
7
answers
845
views
Can infinity be defined?
I know that one can look in a dictionary and find definitions for "infinity".
Similarly, texts in mathematics will give varying accounts of how "infinity" is treated.
So, I am not asking for these ...
user33399
5
votes
8
answers
1k
views
Is a distinction between actual and potential infinity philosophically significant?
I could use a little exposition on the significance of the distinction. I'm aware that potential infinities have arbitrarily large numbers, whilst actual infinities refer to the number "infinity" ...
- 395
1
vote
1
answer
114
views
Can we give a well-motivated distinction between finitary and non-finitary mathematics?
I'm reading up on Hilbert, and wondering if there's actually anything fundamental to his distinction between finitary and infinitary mathematics. His system seems to be an attempt to avoid too much ...
- 395
2
votes
10
answers
915
views
How is it possible for an infinite number of moments to have elapsed prior to now?
In the context of the cosmological argument: How is it possible for an infinite number of equal length moments to have elapsed prior to now?
For more context . . I have read several discussions, ...
- 123