Philosophical Perspectives on Infinity

Graham Oppy9780521108096, 0521108098

Exploring 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 analyzes the many puzzles and paradoxes that follow in the train of the infinite, addressing such simple notions as counting, adding, and maximizing 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.