We read in chapter 3, paragraph 12 of the Leviathan Hobbes' view on the human conception of infinite. He states, "Whatsoever we imagine is finite. Therefore there is no idea or conception of anything we call infinite... When we say anything in infinite, we signify only that we are not able to conceive the ends and bounds of the thing named." Man can not imagine the infinite because he can not have any sense of it, and everything that he imagines must come from his senses. All this being said, despite our inability to comprehend an infinite thing, we are certainly capable of understanding that infinity does indeed exist. The best way to prove that we can understand the infinite is through mathematics. It is evident that if we take the largest number that we can conceive, or X, we can always add 1 to X and have a larger number still. This proves that we can understand that infinity exists, but it does not allow us to imagine or comprehend the infinite.
The idea of infinity has always been a difficult concept for me to grasp. It seems that it is always being attempted to be explained to us for the purpose of astronomy, religion, or mathematics. It is something that as a child we think we are expected to grasp, but as we grow up find it impossible to do so.We are finite beings that have only experienced a finite world. For us to imagine and understand something which none of us have experienced is impossible. I do agree that this does not take away from our ability to define what it is meant to be or recognize it if we were to encounter it.
ReplyDeleteHere's a proof for the impossibility of the infinite.
ReplyDeleteSay you have an infinite amount of numbered coins. They are numbered 1,2,3,4...etc. all the way to infinity.
Now suppose I take away all the odd numbered coins. I have taken away an infinite amount from you, yet you are still left with an infinite amount of even coins.
Therefore infinity - infinity = infinity.
Now let's say I take away every coin except for the one numbered "2".
Again I have taken away an infinite amount of coins from an infinite amount, but this time you are left with one coin.
Therefore infinity - infinity = 1.
Our two answers contradict one another, making infinity nonsensical and impossible.