The term “infinity” refers to objects that never end, such the list of natural numbers or the endless universe. According to the ancient Greek mathematician Aristotle, potential infinity exists but cannot be encountered directly. He also put out the idea of an actual infinite, which could be quantified similarly to the temperature of an object at a given location and moment. Aristotle, however, held that there are no real infinities in the physical world, and no actual infinity has ever been seen. Physicists continue to argue over the validity of Aristotle’s theory. There is considerable controversy among physicists today regarding the concepts of actual and prospective infinity.
Most people have some conception of things that have no bound, no boundary, no limit, no end. The rigorous study of infinity began in mathematics and philosophy, but the engagement with infinity traverses the history of cosmology, astronomy, physics, and theology. In the natural and social sciences, the infinite sometimes appears as a consequence of our theories themselves (Barrow 2006, Luminet and Lachièze-Rey 2005) or in the modelling of the relevant phenomena (Fletcher et al. 2019). Mathematics itself has appealed to some form of infinity from its beginning (infinitely many numbers, shapes, iterated addition or division of segments) and its contemporary practice requires infinitary foundations. Any field that employs mathematics at least flirts with infinity indirectly, and in many cases courts it directly.Philosophy countenances infinity in myriad ways, either directly or indirectly, in most of its sub-fields—here is a tiny sample taken from the contemporary discussion. Some metaphysicians contend that there are infinitely many possibilities/possible worlds and canvas how big this infinity is (e.g. Lewis 1986). Philosophers of religion debate whether the divine is infinite, whether the divine creation is infinite, and whether the value of the afterlife is infinite. Epistemologists debate whether there can be an infinite regress of justification, and if so, whether it is problematic (Klein 2000, Peijnenburg 2007, Atkinson and Peijnenburg 2017). Formal epistemologists traffic largely in an infinitary notion of ‘probability’ (more in Section 6). Population ethics for infinite populations is a lively topic, and they are thought to pose distinctive problems for consequentialism (Nelson 1991). Social and political philosophy appeal to the notion of convention. Yes I think that infinity in a religious setting refers to the same idea as infinity in mathematics? It deals with how further it goes, and religion is when anything goes on forever. Eternity is specifically when time goes on forever.
Recent Comments