ENGLISH

Infinity and the Mind: The Science and Philosophy of the Infinite

By Rudy Rucker

Book information

Publisher
Princeton University Press
Year
2004
ISBN
0691121273, 9780691121277
LCC
QA9.R79 2005
Open Library ID
OL18398325M
Language
english
Format
DJVU
Filesize
6 MB (5991141 bytes)
Series
Princeton Science Library
Pages
362\362
Scanned
no
Time added
2011-04-18 11:31:18

Description

In Infinity and the Mind, Rudy Rucker leads an excursion to that stretch of the universe he calls the "Mindscape," where he explores infinity in all its forms: potential and actual, mathematical and physical, theological and mundane. Rucker acquaints us with Gödel's rotating universe, in which it is theoretically possible to travel into the past, and explains an interpretation of quantum mechanics in which billions of parallel worlds are produced every microsecond. It is in the realm of infinity, he maintains, that mathematics, science, and logic merge with the fantastic. By closely examining the paradoxes that arise from this merging, we can learn a great deal about the human mind, its powers, and its limitations.Using cartoons, puzzles, and quotations to enliven his text, Rucker guides us through such topics as the paradoxes of set theory, the possibilities of physical infinities, and the results of Gödel's incompleteness theorems. His personal encounters with Gödel the mathematician and philosopher provide a rare glimpse at genius and reveal what very few mathematicians have dared to admit: the transcendent implications of Platonic realism.

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