What is the theory of infinity?

What is the theory of infinity?

infinity, the concept of something that is unlimited, endless, without bound. Spatial and temporal concepts of infinity occur in physics when one asks if there are infinitely many stars or if the universe will last forever.

What does Aristotle say about infinity?

Aristotle postulated that an actual infinity was impossible, because if it were possible, then something would have attained infinite magnitude, and would be “bigger than the heavens.” However, he said, mathematics relating to infinity was not deprived of its applicability by this impossibility, because mathematicians …

Is the world or universe infinite in philosophy?

Aristotle claimed that the universe is “whole, all-inclusive, complete, and SHUIHFW and whatever is whole, complete, and perfect has an end, which is its limit and termination” (New Catholic Encyclopedia). He thus concluded that our universe is finite since actual infinities are contradictory and impossible.

Do actual infinities exist?

In the context of a number system, in which “infinity” would mean something one can treat like a number. In this context, infinity does not exist. So there does not exist any one single “infinity” concept; instead, there exists a whole collection of things called “infinite cardinal numbers”.

What is infinity in real life?

Another good example of infinity is the number π or pi. Mathematicians use a symbol for pi because it’s impossible to write the number down. Pi consists of an infinite number of digits. It’s often rounded to 3.14 or even 3.14159, yet no matter how many digits you write, it’s impossible to get to the end.

How is infinity possible?

Although the concept of infinity has a mathematical basis, we have yet to perform an experiment that yields an infinite result. Even in maths, the idea that something could have no limit is paradoxical. For example, there is no largest counting number nor is there a biggest odd or even number.

Did Einstein believe in an infinite universe?

Albert Einstein accepted the modern cosmological view that the universe is expanding long after many of his contemporaries. Until 1931, physicist Albert Einstein believed that the universe was static. The change in Einstein’s viewpoint, in fact, resulted from a tortuous thought process.

What is the problem of infinite regress?

The fallacy of Infinite Regress occurs when this habit lulls us into accepting an explanation that turns out to be itterative, that is, the mechanism involved depends upon itself for its own explanation.

What is the meaning of infinity in philosophy?

In philosophy and theology, infinity is explored in articles under headings such as the Absolute, God, and Zeno’s paradoxes. In Greek philosophy, for example in Anaximander, ‘the Boundless’ is the origin of all that is. He took the beginning or first principle to be an endless, unlimited primordial mass (ἄπειρον, apeiron).

When did the concept of the infinite come into being?

Using the idea proposed by Bolzano that was mentioned above, the concept of the actual infinite was precisely defined in 1888 when Richard Dedekind redefined the term “infinity” for use in set theory and Georg Cantor made the infinite, in the sense of infinite set, an object of mathematical study.

What is infinity according to Jainism?

Infinity (philosophy) He took the beginning or first principle to be an endless, unlimited primordial mass (ἄπειρον, apeiron ). The Jain metaphysics and mathematics was the first to define and delineate different “types” of infinities. The work of the mathematician Georg Cantor first placed infinity into a coherent mathematical framework.

Is there more than one coherent concept of Infinity?

Philosophers want to know whether there is more than one coherent concept of infinity; which entities and properties are infinitely large, infinitely small, infinitely divisible, and infinitely numerous; and what arguments can justify answers one way or the other. Here are some examples of these four different ways to be infinite.