Re: a little meditation on literature and math

From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@ricochet.net)
Date: Sat Mar 24 2001 - 13:28:20 MST


Anders Sandberg writes:

> Brilliant! BTW, why set theory? Calculus is so much more fun!

> To me the different branches of mathematics have their own
> styles. Analysis is baroque, lots of little trigonometric
> cherubs and leering integral gargoyles. Linear algebra is
> far more stark, a cubism of straight lines and matrices.
> Classical geometry is (of course) classicist, while
> differential geometry is a rich surrealist jungle.

Brilliant! (Really, that's good.)

But set theory is the branch of mathematics where you study
infinity. Ordinals, cardinals, omega, aleph-one, the first
inaccessible cardinal, measurable cardinals, the extendable
cardinals..., it goes on and on. The greatest playground
ever found by the human mind.

Lee Corbin



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