Dr.
Oliver I hope that you and your daughter get to feeling better real soon!
Today’s
discussion would have been on infinity. I do not know about what my group
members think about this, but I am going to give my opinion and I look forward
to reading my group members’ comments.
When
thinking about infinity, I do not think you can use the term “infinity” because
it has no concrete meaning. I am a very math-minded person, so when I hear the
term infinity used I think that it cannot exist. Infinity is something that
keeps going on and on, but it does not ever stop. I think it is just a term to
say that you know it is there, but you cannot pinpoint the exact location of
it.
What
makes infinity interesting, as said by A.W. Moore, is that there has not been a
consensus on the topic of infinity between everyone. No one can pinpoint an exact
definition of what infinity is. No one is able to prove that an infinite number
exists or space is infinite. I believe it is a hard concept to argue for on
both sides. Yes, infinity exist even though you may not see it, it still
exists. However, no, it does not exist because there is not tangible evidence
to prove that infinity of anything exists.
I
also wanted to give a little story about the term infinity. When my sister and
I use to fight when we were teenagers, we would always try to “one up” each
other in the argument. I would say, “I am better than you at this times one
hundred thousand.” Then, my sister would reply, “Nuh uh, I am better times
infinity.” I replied, “Nuh uh, I am better times triple infinity.”
This
is just an example that we can use the term infinity but not really know what
it actually
represents.
DQ:
Have you ever used the term infinity? Why did you use it? Do you believe
infinity is a good term to use?
FQ:
Q: Who said, “The point about the
infinite is that it resists being pinned down, and if you’re trying to define
the concept, then what you’re trying to do is pin down in some way, circumscribe
it, give it parameters” ?
A: A.W. Moore
This
video shows that not only children, but a professor who uses the mathematical
rules to show that infinity is hard to explain.
I wish Moore would have talked a bit more about his views on infinity, because I felt like the conversation ended before I could even think about what his thoughts were on the subject.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that people have always been interested in the infinite. You'd think we would look at our world and the sky and the stars and say, "Whelp, that's about it." But we have inside us a yearning to find something more out there, something that may shed some light on the reason we are here in the first place. I think that's where the concept of infinity comes into play. It allows us to say, "Maybe there's something out there that is not bound in the same restraints we are."
To answer your DQ, Evan, I use the term infinity mainly when I speak of God's nature (and, like you, when I engage in verbal jousting with my sister). I view God as infinitely present, infinitely powerful, and infinitely knowledgeable. I think the term "infinite" is appropriate to use because it is describing God. How else would you describe an indescribable God than with an indefinable word?
I like the quote you used from Moore: “The point about the infinite is that it resists being pinned down, and if you’re trying to define the concept, then what you’re trying to do is pin down in some way, circumscribe it, give it parameters." The picture is only as clear as the lenses through which you observe. Trying to wrap our minds around the nature of God will not work because our minds are not infinite. We are like an ant looking through his little ant-house window trying to paint a picture of the entire night sky, a feat impossible.
DQ: Do you think people will ever stop wondering about infinity?
DeleteFQ: What view, according to David Papineau, is "concerned with the world of unobservables"?
FA: Scientific Realism
I thought this was a cool picture. Have you heard of these Infinity Pools? Pretty tight!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Infinity_pool.JPG
Hey y'all.
ReplyDeleteKeaton I agree, it seemed like Moore was too busy talking about why infinity is so hard to define or why people struggle with the term. We didn't get an insight to how he felt about it.
This is weird trying to discuss. We usually have such great conversations!
We talked about infinity quite a lot in astronomy. I still have trouble trying to conceptualize infinity. Merriam Webster defines infinity as unlimited extent of time, space, or quantity. So question, how exactly was our friend Mr. Buzz Lightyear intending to go beyond an unlimited extent of space? (Perhaps that was the point the Disney writers was trying to get across.)
I think the problem people have with infinity is trying to fully grasp it. It’s like me and calculus. I couldn’t fully understand the graphing of differential equations. I had never experienced using it before, or had to think about it before. When I was forced to think about it in class it was mind boggling! I think that’s a common reaction with people when they deal with something new or unknown.
DQ: Have you come to terms with the term infinity? If yes how?
I wish we could have discussed this in class together! Infinity is a hard topic to grasp and is something we as humans don't like to think about because we can't pinpoint the actual answer. I think about Dr. Klumpe (our astronomy professor) when I hear the word infinity. He had such a problem with it and I think it was one of the first times that I had really thought about its meaning. Before it was just an answer in calculus. But I remember he thought of it as an easy way out...you say something is infinite because its hugeness is too hard to figure out. I guess that's true but there has to be a limit to our knowledge and understanding as human beings. There's always going to be something greater than what we comprehend.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Keaton, about using infinite to describe God. God is also something that we can't fully comprehend. His power and greatness are just too great for us to wrap our minds around. He is never ending - He always has been and always will be. He is infinite. I remember having such a hard time grasping that - well, not grasping it rather realizing and accepting the fact that I am inferior. I have a God sooooooo much bigger and better than me and everything finite that I can comprehend and pinpoint. Crazy!!
FQ: What is one way Moore gives to approach the concept of infinity?
Compare it to the finite
DQ: What are some other reasons you think people have a hard time with the concept of infinity?
Infinity is a pretty interesting term. I think a lot of the times it's applied in areas where it shouldn't be. I think that's part of where the confusion comes from, or for me at least. In math, it makes sense. The limit as x approaches zero is infinity. There's always something extra. There's always one more thing. It's hard to grasp because it’s so abstract, but it makes sense. Maybe it's more like a place holder, or a reminder.
ReplyDeleteThe hotel paradox didn't really make sense to me. Why not tell the guy to go into the infinite-th room, rather than have all of the other guests take an infinite amount of time to change rooms?
DQ: Does infinity really have merit if it doesn't actually exist?
I wish we could've talked about this in class as well, because Moore does sort of beat around the bush. But who can blame him? I think there is no answer to the infinity equation due to its nature. No one can grasp it, no one can prove it. It's almost like faith in religion: you can't prove it, but you can believe in it.
ReplyDeleteYusra mentioned astronomy, and I think we all know Dr. Klumpe's opinion on infinity: it's a term used as an easy way out in logical debate because once you say for example, the universe is infinite, it allows for anything to be possible, and all points are moot.
I think infinity is an interesting topic, but like Evan, I also tend to have a systematic, methodical, and pragmatic way of thinking things through, so the use of infinity doesn't have much meaning to me because we can't understand or utilize anything that is infinite.
DQ: In your opinions, is anything infinite?
FQ: Who thinks that life is terrible and we all would've been better off to never have been born? Answer: Arthur Schopenhauer.
I also thought this was funny, not even dictionary.com really knows what infinity is, lolz.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/infinity?s=t