Chapter Four: Robots and Souls

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Chapter Four: Robots and Souls TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface to the 2005 Edition ix Preface to the Paperback Edition XVII Preface xix Chapter One: Infinity 1 A Short History of Infinity 1 Physical Infinities 9 Temporal Infinities 10 Spatial Infinities 15 Infinities in the Small 24 Conclusion 34 Infinities in the Mindscape 35 The Absolute Infinite 44 Connections 49 Puzzles and Paradoxes 51 Chapter Two: All the Numbers 53 From Pythagoreanism to Cantorism 53 Transfinite Numbers 64 From Omega to Epsilon-Zero 65 The Alefs 73 Infinitesimals and Surreal Numbers 78 Higher Physical Infinities 87 Puzzles and Paradoxes 91 Chapter Three: The Unnameable 93 The Berry Paradox 93 Naming Numbers 95 Understanding Names 100 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Random Reals 107 Constructing Reals 108 The Library of Babel 120 Richard's Paradox 126 Coding the World 130 What is Truth? 143 Conclusion 152 Puzzles and Paradoxes 155 Chapter Four: Robots and Souls 157 Gooe!'s Incompleteness Theorem 157 Conversations with Gooe! 164 Towards Robot Consciousness 171 Formal Systems and Machines 172 The Liar Paradox and the Non-Mechanizability of Mathematics 175 Artificial Intelligence via Evolutionary Processes 180 Robot Consciousness 183 Beyond Mechanism? 185 Puzzles and Paradoxes 187 Chapter Five: The One and the Many 189 The Classical One/Many Problem 189 What is a Set? 191 The Universe of Set Theory 196 Pure Sets and the Physical Universe 196 Proper Classes and Metaphysical Absolutes 202 Interface Enlightenment 206 One/Many in Logic and Set Theory 207 Mysticism and Rationality 209 Satod 214 Puzzles and Paradoxes 219 Excursion One: The Transfinite Cardinals 221 On and Alef-One 221 Cardinality 226 The Continuum 238 Large Cardinals 253 TABLE OF CONTENTS vii Excursion Two: Godel's Incompleteness Theorems 267 Formal Systems 267 Self-Reference 280 Godel's Proof 285 ATechnical Note on Man-Machine Equivalence 292 Answers to the Puzzles and Paradoxes 295 ~~ ~7 Bibliography 329 Index 339 .
Recommended publications
  • Structural Reflection and the Ultimate L As the True, Noumenal Universe Of
    Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa CLASSE DI LETTERE Corso di Perfezionamento in Filosofia PHD degree in Philosophy Structural Reflection and the Ultimate L as the true, noumenal universe of mathematics Candidato: Relatore: Emanuele Gambetta Prof.- Massimo Mugnai anno accademico 2015-2016 Structural Reflection and the Ultimate L as the true noumenal universe of mathematics Emanuele Gambetta Contents 1. Introduction 7 Chapter 1. The Dream of Completeness 19 0.1. Preliminaries to this chapter 19 1. G¨odel'stheorems 20 1.1. Prerequisites to this section 20 1.2. Preliminaries to this section 21 1.3. Brief introduction to unprovable truths that are mathematically interesting 22 1.4. Unprovable mathematical statements that are mathematically interesting 27 1.5. Notions of computability, Turing's universe and Intuitionism 32 1.6. G¨odel'ssentences undecidable within PA 45 2. Transfinite Progressions 54 2.1. Preliminaries to this section 54 2.2. Gottlob Frege's definite descriptions and completeness 55 2.3. Transfinite progressions 59 3. Set theory 65 3.1. Preliminaries to this section 65 3.2. Prerequisites: ZFC axioms, ordinal and cardinal numbers 67 3.3. Reduction of all systems of numbers to the notion of set 71 3.4. The first large cardinal numbers and the Constructible universe L 76 3.5. Descriptive set theory, the axioms of determinacy and Luzin's problem formulated in second-order arithmetic 84 3 4 CONTENTS 3.6. The method of forcing and Paul Cohen's independence proof 95 3.7. Forcing Axioms, BPFA assumed as a phenomenal solution to the continuum hypothesis and a Kantian metaphysical distinction 103 3.8.
    [Show full text]
  • A Cardinal Sin: the Infinite in Spinoza's Philosophy
    Macalester College DigitalCommons@Macalester College Philosophy Honors Projects Philosophy Department Spring 2014 A Cardinal Sin: The nfinitI e in Spinoza's Philosophy Samuel H. Eklund Macalester College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/phil_honors Part of the Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Eklund, Samuel H., "A Cardinal Sin: The nfinitI e in Spinoza's Philosophy" (2014). Philosophy Honors Projects. Paper 7. http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/phil_honors/7 This Honors Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Philosophy Department at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Philosophy Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Cardinal Sin: The Infinite in Spinoza’s Philosophy By: Samuel Eklund Macalester College Philosophy Department Honors Advisor: Geoffrey Gorham Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without my advisor, Professor Geoffrey Gorham. Through a collaborative summer research grant, I was able to work with him in improving a vague idea about writing on Spinoza’s views on existence and time into a concrete analysis of Spinoza and infinity. Without his help during the summer and feedback during the past academic year, my views on Spinoza wouldn’t have been as developed as they currently are. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the hard work done by the other two members of my honors committee: Professor Janet Folina and Professor Andrew Beveridge. Their questions during the oral defense and written feedback were incredibly helpful in producing the final draft of this project.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Infinite in Leibniz's Philosophy
    On the Infinite in Leibniz's Philosophy Elad Lison Interdisciplinary Studies Unit Science, Technology and Society Ph.D. Thesis Submitted to the Senate of Bar-Ilan University Ramat-Gan, Israel August 2010 This work was carried out under the supervision of Dr. Ohad Nachtomy (Department of Philosophy), Bar-Ilan University. Contents א.……………………………….…………………………………………Hebrew Abstract Prologue…………………………………………………………...………………………1 Part A: Historic Survey Methodological Introduction…………………………………………………………..15 1. Aristotle: Potential Infinite………………………………………………………….16 2. Thomas Aquinas: God and the Infinite………………………………………..…….27 3. William of Ockham: Syncategorematic and Actual Infinite……………………..….32 4. Rabbi Abraham Cohen Herrera: Between Absolute Unity and Unbounded Multitude………………………………………………………………………..….42 5. Galileo Galilei: Continuum Constructed from Infinite Zero's………………………49 6. René Descartes: Infinite as Indefinite…………………………………………….…58 7. Pierre Gassendi: Rejection of the Infinite…………………………………………...69 8. Baruch Spinoza: Infinite Unity…………………………………………………...…73 9. General Background: Leibniz and the History of the Infinite……………………....81 Summary…………………………………………………………………………….…94 Part B: Mathematics Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….99 1. 'De Arte Combinatoria' as a Formal Basis for Thought: Retrospective on Leibniz's 1666 Dissertation………………………………………………………………....102 2. Leibniz and the Infinitesimal Calculus……………………………………….……111 2.1. Mathematical Background: Mathematical Works in 16th-17th Centuries…..111 2.2. Leibniz's Mathematical Development…………………………………….…127
    [Show full text]
  • Cantor on Infinity in Nature, Number, and the Divine Mind
    Cantor on Infinity in Nature, Number, and the Divine Mind Anne Newstead Abstract. The mathematician Georg Cantor strongly believed in the existence of actually infinite numbers and sets. Cantor’s “actualism” went against the Aristote- lian tradition in metaphysics and mathematics. Under the pressures to defend his theory, his metaphysics changed from Spinozistic monism to Leibnizian volunta- rist dualism. The factor motivating this change was two-fold: the desire to avoid antinomies associated with the notion of a universal collection and the desire to avoid the heresy of necessitarian pantheism. We document the changes in Can- tor’s thought with reference to his main philosophical-mathematical treatise, the Grundlagen (1883) as well as with reference to his article, “Über die verschiedenen Standpunkte in bezug auf das aktuelle Unendliche” (“Concerning Various Perspec- tives on the Actual Infinite”) (1885). I. he Philosophical Reception of Cantor’s Ideas. Georg Cantor’s dis- covery of transfinite numbers was revolutionary. Bertrand Russell Tdescribed it thus: The mathematical theory of infinity may almost be said to begin with Cantor. The infinitesimal Calculus, though it cannot wholly dispense with infinity, has as few dealings with it as possible, and contrives to hide it away before facing the world Cantor has abandoned this cowardly policy, and has brought the skeleton out of its cupboard. He has been emboldened on this course by denying that it is a skeleton. Indeed, like many other skeletons, it was wholly dependent on its cupboard, and vanished in the light of day.1 1Bertrand Russell, The Principles of Mathematics (London: Routledge, 1992 [1903]), 304.
    [Show full text]
  • Cantor-Von Neumann Set-Theory Fa Muller
    Logique & Analyse 213 (2011), x–x CANTOR-VON NEUMANN SET-THEORY F.A. MULLER Abstract In this elementary paper we establish a few novel results in set the- ory; their interest is wholly foundational-philosophical in motiva- tion. We show that in Cantor-Von Neumann Set-Theory, which is a reformulation of Von Neumann's original theory of functions and things that does not introduce `classes' (let alone `proper classes'), developed in the 1920ies, both the Pairing Axiom and `half' the Axiom of Limitation are redundant — the last result is novel. Fur- ther we show, in contrast to how things are usually done, that some theorems, notably the Pairing Axiom, can be proved without invok- ing the Replacement Schema (F) and the Power-Set Axiom. Also the Axiom of Choice is redundant in CVN, because it a theorem of CVN. The philosophical interest of Cantor-Von Neumann Set- Theory, which is very succinctly indicated, lies in the fact that it is far better suited than Zermelo-Fraenkel Set-Theory as an axioma- tisation of what Hilbert famously called Cantor's Paradise. From Cantor one needs to jump to Von Neumann, over the heads of Zer- melo and Fraenkel, and then reformulate. 0. Introduction In 1928, Von Neumann published his grand axiomatisation of Cantorian Set- Theory [1925; 1928]. Although Von Neumann's motivation was thoroughly Cantorian, he did not take the concept of a set and the membership-relation as primitive notions, but the concepts of a thing and a function — for rea- sons we do not go into here. This, and Von Neumann's cumbersome nota- tion and terminology (II-things, II.I-things) are the main reasons why ini- tially his theory remained comparatively obscure.
    [Show full text]
  • Lost in the Labyrinth: Spinoza, Leibniz and the Continuum Lost in the Labyrinth: Spinoza, Leibniz and the Continuum
    LOST IN THE LABYRINTH: SPINOZA, LEIBNIZ AND THE CONTINUUM LOST IN THE LABYRINTH: SPINOZA, LEIBNIZ AND THE CONTINUUM By PATRICK RIESTERER, B.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfillment ofthe Requirements For the Degree Master ofArts McMaster University © Copyright by Patrick Riesterer, August 2006 MASTER OF ARTS (2006) McMaster University (Philosophy) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Lost in the Labyrinth: Spinoza, Leibniz and the Continuum AUTHOR: Patrick Riesterer, B.A. (Trinity Western University) SUPERVISOR: Professor Richard Arthur NUMBER OF PAGES: vi, 110 ii Abstract In this thesis, I address the extent ofSpinoza's influence on the development of Leibniz's response to the continuum problem, with particular emphasis on his relational philosophy oftime and space. I expend the first chapter carefully reconstructing Spinoza's position on infinity and time. We see that Spinoza developed a threefold definition ofinfinity to explain the difference between active substance and its passive modes. Spinoza advances a syncategorematic interpretation ofinfinity, and founds a causal theory oftime directly on this conception ofinfinity. In the second chapter, I examine the changes Leibniz's understanding ofthe continuum problem underwent during 1676 and immediately thereafter. During this period, Leibniz's interacted extensively with Spinoza's ideas. We see that several fundamental features ofLeibniz's philosophy oftime take shape at this time. Leibniz adopts a Spinozistic definition ofdivine eternity and immensity, he reevaluates several analogies in an attempt to understand how the attributes ofa substance interrelate, and he develops the notion ofthe law of the series that will become an essential feature ofmonadic appetition. Leibniz synthesizes several ofthese discoveries into a first philosophy ofmotion.
    [Show full text]
  • A Mathematical Model of Divine Infinity
    A Mathematical Model of Divine Infinity Prof. Eric Steinhart, Department of Philosophy, William Paterson University, Wayne NJ 07470. Email: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>. Published in 2009 in Theology and Science 7 (3), 261 – 274. ABSTRACT: Mathematics is obviously important in the sciences. And so it is likely to be equally important in any effort that aims to understand God in a scientifically significant way or that aims to clarify the relations between science and theology. The degree to which God has any perfection is absolutely infinite. We use contemporary mathematics to precisely define that absolute infinity. For any perfection, we use transfinite recursion to define an endlessly ascending series of degrees of that perfection. That series rises to an absolutely infinite degree of that perfection. God has that absolutely infinite degree. We focus on the perfections of knowledge, power, and benevolence. Our model of divine infinity thus builds a bridge between mathematics and theology. KEYWORDS: God; mathematics; perfection; infinity; Cantor; transfinite recursion. 1. Introduction All will agree that science makes extensive use of mathematics. At least in physics, scientific progress seems to go hand in hand with increasing formalization. More sophisticated physical theories are also more highly mathematical. And the correlation of progress with increasing formalization also appears sciences like chemistry and biology as well. Mathematics is obviously important in the sciences. And so it is likely to be equally important in any effort that aims to understand God in a scientifically significant way or that aims to clarify the relations between science and theology. Nevertheless, mathematics has seen little application in theology.
    [Show full text]
  • Two Pictures of the Iterative Hierarchy
    TWO PICTURES OF THE ITERATIVE HIERARCHY by Ida Marie Myrstad Dahl Thesis for the degree of Master in Philosophy Supervised by Professor Øystein Linnebo Fall 2014 Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Arts and Ideas University of Oslo Two pictures of the iterative hierarchy ©2014 Two pictures of the iterative hierarchy Ida Marie Myrstad Dahl http://www.duo.uio.no Print: OKPrintShop iii Contents Acknowledgements . v Abstract . vi Introduction 1 1 The iterative conception of set 4 1.1 What it is . 4 1.2 Why the iterative conception? . 8 2 Actualism and potentialism on the iterative conception 15 2.1 The actualist picture . 16 2.2 The potentialist picture . 19 3 From the ancient to the contemporary concept of infinity 24 3.1 Aristotle on infinity . 24 3.2 Three important developments . 30 3.3 Cantor’s theory of the infinite . 31 3.4 A tension between actualism and potentialism . 34 4 Two tenable pictures? 40 4.1 (1) An actual conception . 41 4.2 (2) An intuitive conception . 47 4.3 (3) Explaining paradox . 50 4.4 Two tenable interpretations . 53 Conclusion 56 iv Acknowledgements I owe special thanks to Øystein Linnebo, for helpful supervision of my project, but also for introducing me to the philosophical ideas about the infinite in a phi- losophy of language seminar, at the University of Oslo, autumn, 2012. His ideas and teaching has been of great inspiration. Also, attending the PPP-seminars (Plurals, Predicates and Paradox), led by Linnebo, in 2013, was of great interest, and helped me single out the topic I wanted to write about.
    [Show full text]
  • Paul M. Livingston
    C ABSTRACT: C R R I Partially following Gilles Deleuze, I articulate six criteria for a strong I S variety of critique: one which affirms the power of thought in going all S I I How do we S the way to the limit of existing societies, situations, institutions and S practices. The form of this strong critique is a complex unity of thought & & and life that can be indicated, as I argue, on the basis of a twofold C C R condition: a contemporary repetition of the classical structuralism R I that Deleuze develops in the 1967 article “How do we recognize I recognize strong T T I structuralism?” and a formally based reflection on the properly infinite I Q dimension of structure and sense. I develop the implications of this Q U U E strong critique under contemporary conditions, distinguishing it E from various alternative current forms of sociopolitical critique and critique? # # 3 non-critique. In particular I argue that through its articulation of the 3 consequences of constitutive paradox, the structure of the situationally undecidable, and the ineffectivity characteristic of the constitution of sense, strong critique offers appropriate forms of response in thought and action to the structural problems and antagonisms characteristic of contemporary global capitalism. Keywords: Paul M. Critique, Deleuze, infinite, paradoxico-critical, undecidable, ineffective Livingston In his 1965 short monograph Nietzsche, Gilles Deleuze indicates the complex condition of a strong variety of critique: The philosopher of the future is the explorer of ancient worlds, of peaks and caves, who creates only inasmuch as he recalls something that has been essentially forgotten.
    [Show full text]
  • Gödel's Cantorianism
    Gödel’s Cantorianism Claudio Ternullo KGRC, University of Vienna* “My theory is rationalistic, idealistic, optimistic, and theological”. Gödel, in Wang (1996), p. 8 “Numeros integros simili modo atque totum quoddam legibus et relationibus compositum efficere” Cantor, De transformatione formarum ternariarum quadraticarum, thesis III, in Cantor (1932), p. 62 1. Introductory remarks There is no conclusive evidence, either in his published or his unpublished work, that Gödel had read, meditated upon or drawn inspiration from Cantor’s philosophical doctrines. We know about his philosophical “training”, and that, since his youth, he had shown interest in the work of such philosophers as Kant, Leibniz and Plato. It is also widely known that, from a certain point onwards in his life, he started reading and absorbing Husserl’s thought and that phenomenology proved to be one of the most fundamental influences he was to subject himself to in the course of the development of his ideas. 1 But we do not know about the influence of Cantor’s thought. In Wang’s book containing reports of the philosophical conversations the author had with Gödel, one can find only a few remarks by Gödel concerning Cantor’s philosophical conceptions. Not much material do we get from the secondary literature either. For instance, if one browses through the indexes of Dawson’s fundamental biography of Gödel (Dawson 1997), or those of Wang’s three ponderous volumes (1974, 1987, 1996) one finds that all mentions of Cantor in those works either refer to specific points of Cantorian set theory, as discussed by the authors of these books, or, more specifically, to Gödel’s paper on Cantor’s continuum problem, 2 wherein * The writing of this article has been supported by the JTF Grant ID35216 (research project “The Hyperuniverse.
    [Show full text]
  • Set Theory: Taming the Infinite
    This is page 54 Printer: Opaque this CHAPTER 2 Set Theory: Taming the Infinite 2.1 Introduction “I see it, but I don’t believe it!” This disbelief of Georg Cantor in his own creations exemplifies the great skepticism that his work on infinite sets in- spired in the mathematical community of the late nineteenth century. With his discoveries he single-handedly set in motion a tremendous mathematical earthquake that shook the whole discipline to its core, enriched it immea- surably, and transformed it forever. Besides disbelief, Cantor encountered fierce opposition among a considerable number of his peers, who rejected his discoveries about infinite sets on philosophical as well as mathematical grounds. Beginning with Aristotle (384–322 b.c.e.), two thousand years of West- ern doctrine had decreed that actually existing collections of infinitely many objects of any kind were not to be part of our reasoning in philosophy and mathematics, since they would lead directly into a quagmire of logical con- tradictions and absurd conclusions. Aristotle’s thinking on the infinite was in part inspired by the paradoxes of Zeno of Elea during the fifth century b.c.e. The most famous of these asserts that Achilles, the fastest runner in ancient Greece, would be unable to surpass a much slower runner, provided that the slower runner got a bit of a head start. Namely, Achilles would then first have to cover the distance between the starting positions, dur- ing which time the slower runner could advance a certain distance. Then Achilles would have to cover that distance, while the slower runner would again advance, and so on.
    [Show full text]
  • SET THEORY Andrea K. Dieterly a Thesis Submitted to the Graduate
    SET THEORY Andrea K. Dieterly A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2011 Committee: Warren Wm. McGovern, Advisor Juan Bes Rieuwert Blok i Abstract Warren Wm. McGovern, Advisor This manuscript was to show the equivalency of the Axiom of Choice, Zorn's Lemma and Zermelo's Well-Ordering Principle. Starting with a brief history of the development of set history, this work introduced the Axioms of Zermelo-Fraenkel, common applications of the axioms, and set theoretic descriptions of sets of numbers. The book, Introduction to Set Theory, by Karel Hrbacek and Thomas Jech was the primary resource with other sources providing additional background information. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Warren Wm. McGovern for his assistance and guidance while working and writing this thesis. I also want to thank Reiuwert Blok and Juan Bes for being on my committee. Thank you to Dan Shifflet and Nate Iverson for help with the typesetting program LATEX. A personal thank you to my husband, Don, for his love and support. iii Contents Contents . iii 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Naive Set Theory . 2 1.2 The Axiom of Choice . 4 1.3 Russell's Paradox . 5 2 Axioms of Zermelo-Fraenkel 7 2.1 First Order Logic . 7 2.2 The Axioms of Zermelo-Fraenkel . 8 2.3 The Recursive Theorem . 13 3 Development of Numbers 16 3.1 Natural Numbers and Integers . 16 3.2 Rational Numbers . 20 3.3 Real Numbers .
    [Show full text]