Comments on: A Life Lived

By: Lewis

Lewis — Sun, 02 Apr 2006 11:05:38 +0000

Those lines, they cross each other in infinity?? Perhaps I’m not wrapping my head around it right, but surely they just wouldn’t cross, moving away from each other endlessly? Or is that the point.. because you get off the normal quantitative scale of things (definite numbers) you can’t really say anything about it at all?

I like that although numbers can be incredibly exact on their own as symbols (1 = 1, it doesn’t equal 3 or 4 or 5), as soon as you bring in another number for it to relate to you see that there is an infinity between them. 1 and 2 are different numbers, but the gap between them is infinite in a sense, because there are an infinite amount of numbers between them, 1.5, 1.25, 1.125, on and on adding decimal places… It’s like that thing where once you have something, you can keep halving it indefinitely. Half of something is always something. Though half of nothing? Now that’s one to think about!

By: Paulo

Paulo — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 14:38:40 +0000

Ah-hah! Knew it =P Well all right, let’s go for some basics then, eh? Lemme see, an intellectual (Meaning cognitive, not necessarily smart) description of infinity hrmmm.

Let’s start as follows:

Infinity is a collection of items in a set, the length of the set having no limit or bound. For instance, I could describe infinity as each realistic number between 0 and 1. Let’s start a list. 0, 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 …… obviously, by simply adding another decimal, we can go on forever, or make a list with infite items.

Infinity, having a set of unlimited items, is therefor equal to another infinity. Grab a piece of paper and write the following: “0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5″. Below that, write the double of each number: “0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10″. Picture those numbers going on and on. Now, even though we’re skipping a load of numbers in the bottom list, it will contain as many items as the top list (In fact, it contains a selection of the items to be found in the top list). So, the two sets of infinite items are of an equal length!

Oh, you could also describe it geometrically if you will. Imagine two lines, non-parallel. They cross somewhere in space, even though it may not be on the sheet of paper where you drew them on. Now, if you bring the angle between those two lines from 90 degrees onward to 180 degrees, their place of intersection relative to the spot where you picture the angle to start from will increase. Eventually, you could say that once the angle reached 180 degrees, the lines will intersect in a place after an infinite length, or: They cross each other in infinity!

So, all in all I’d say that as an intellectual concept, infinity is a collection of items without end or limit. If you wish to look on it, simply draw a circle, start at one point and continue following the circle until you reach a spot where the line ends.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 13:36:16 +0000

Yeah, sure, why not!

Ok, perhaps I would do better to be more precise in my language. Infinity is not something as concrete as….. er no, well, infinity isn’t a discreet number… errrrrr…. ah, infinity isn’t something exact like….. Oh.

Fine. You try!

By: Paulo

Paulo — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 10:42:12 +0000

Infinity can’t be grasped in the intellectual sense? Oh man you’re opening up a can of worms there….You sure you want to? =P

By: Lewis

Lewis — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 09:28:58 +0000

Absolutely. We can think of it at any scale that we like. The larger the scale, the more it lessens our holding on tightly. But of course, just as thinking of a large (but finite) scale can be more easily comprehended than the idea of infinity (which by its nature can’t really be grasped in the intellectual sense), so too does thinking small prove useful. Asking questions like, “what will this matter in a day or two, a week or two, a month or two, a year or two?” can help keep things in perspective for us. Is it really that important that we get that newest piece of technology today? Or get all of our to-do list done today (by forcing it and perhaps doing a shoddy job)? What will it matter a year from now?

Enjoy the rollercoaster. I agree!

By: Paulo

Paulo — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 08:13:43 +0000

Indeed, my friend, a valuable lesson! As Gautama has taught us: “Know that this too, one day, shall fade; What use then to fight?”

Because in the end, indeed, we shall all pass away, our bodies shall wither, those withered body shall turn to dust, that dust shall dissolve. Yes, even all the objects we know, the entire culture we have; hey, for kicks even say our entire solar system and eventually the universe will all disappear. What use is it to think that things are permanent, ever?

Might as well just enjoy the ride while we’re here!