Philosophical Perspectives on Infinity [Paperback]

Graham Oppy examines how the infinite lurks everywhere.This book is an exploration of philosophical questions about infinity. Graham Oppy examines how the infinite lurks everywhere, both in science and in our ordinary thoughts about the world.This book is an exploration of philosophical questions about infinity. Graham Oppy examines how the infinite lurks everywhere, both in science and in our ordinary thoughts about the world.This book is an exploration of philosophical questions about infinity. Graham Oppy examines how the infinite lurks everywhere, both in science and in our ordinary thoughts about the world. He also analyses the many puzzles and paradoxes that follow in the train of the infinite. Even simple notions, such as counting, adding and maximising present serious difficulties. Other topics examined include the nature of space and time, infinities in physical science, infinities in theories of probability and decision, the nature of part/whole relations, mathematical theories of the infinite, and infinite regression and principles of sufficient reason.Introduction; 1. Beginnings and puzzles; 2. Mathematical preliminaries; 3. Some cases discussed; 4. Space, time, and spacetime; 5. Physical infinities; 6. Probability and decision theory; 7. Mereology; 8. Philosophical theories; 9. Infinite regress and sufficient reason. I did encounter some new and provocative examples beyond the standard fare of Zeno's paradox and Hilbert's Hotel, and the meticulous framing of each conundrum and possible resolutions was fascinating and worth the effort. - MAA Review Bonnie Shulman, Bates College ...read this book. Mathematical Reviews