Infinity and the Mind: The Science and Philosophy of the Infinite (Penguin science)

Rudolf V.B. Rucker

ISBN 10: 0140262954 / ISBN 13: 9780140262957

Published by Penguin Books Ltd, 1997

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Infinity and the Mind: The Science and Philosophy of the Infinite (Penguin science)
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140262954
• ISBN 13: 9780140262957
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Used; Good

About this title

Synopsis

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 potential and actual, mathematical and physical, theological and mundane. Rucker acquaints us with Godel'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 Godel's incompleteness theorems. His personal encounters with Godel the mathematician and philosopher provide a rare glimpse at genius and reveal what very few mathematicians have dared to the transcendent implications of Platonic realism.

From the Back Cover

"Infinity and the Mind can be read and enjoyed by experts and nonexperts alike. Rudy Rucker is a talented logician who draws on his talents as a science-fiction writer and cartoonist to convey his ideas. This makes for not only a solid, accurate, and informative book but also a good read."--Thomas Tymoczko, Smith College

"Informal, amusing, witty, profound. . . . In an extraordinary burst of creative energy, Rudy Rucker has managed to bring together every aspect of mathematical infinity. . . . A dizzying glimpse into that boundless region of blinding light where the mysteries of transcendence shatter the clarity of logic, set theory, proof theory, and contemporary physics."--Martin Gardner