How Do You Feel About the Concept of Infinity?
 

So I'm writing an Essay for a Philosophy module in Logic that I decided to take this term. The essay title is:

"Does the infinite exist? Consider in the light of Logic and Mathematics"

Now, I have my own views on infinity. I definitely believe the concept exists, more more as a placeholder than an actual achievable existence, but I'm always interested in what other people have to say on subjects such as this.

And so I ask you: how do you feel about the concept of infinity? is it a number? Does it exist in a tangible sense? does it exist at all? Does it scare you? Tell me all!

MAJOR EDIT REQUIRED: Seems I forgot to spell check my title. Any mod wanna help me out there? :P

Infinity simply is. It exists independent of the human ability to conceptualize it. Time on the other hand is an illusory concept and is really just a measurement of space.

this is very complicated.
in the sense of matter? no, because matter can not be created or destroyed.
so i think my BELIEF in infinity depends on exactly what aspect of infinity we are talking about.

I can't fathom it and it's scary. Not just in regards of time, which I suppose you can rationalize as a fake concept measured by the transient nature of all things, but what about space? What the fuck does it mean that space is infinite? On the other hand, how can it end? What, suddenly after 1 gazillion billion light years there's a barrier with a sign "that's it, space ends here". What's beyond, nothing? What's nothing? You know....man...?

Lay off the ganja.

:D

my reasoning is that it is not possible to achieve the infinite, but it is quite a handy point of reference. That is to say, that if we can prove (mathematically) that something holds for any number less than infinity, then it holds for every number. if an equation has no "limit" (as in, as the sequence continues, the value increases, either at a constant or non-decreasing rate), it is easiest to say that it has its limit "at infinity". that isn't to say that it ever reaches infinity, but rather that it will keep getting bigger indefinitely the further the sequence goes.

Similarly to say that Space is infinite is to say that no matter how far you were to travel, you would never reach an "edge", because it is expanding at a rate greater than we can travel. It would be easy, at that point, to say that space must then be finite, if we can potentially travel to the edge of the universe (which by logical reasoning we must, since the universe was definitely once of finite size, according to the big bang theory), but that then requires that there be space for the universe to expand into. But the universe contains everything in existence, so how can it expand if there is nothing to expand into? Well, consider the arithmetic of infinity. Infinity + anything is still infinity. Similarly infinity - anything is still infinity. So that means if the universe is infinite in size this handy conjecture regarding adding and subtracting anything from infinity helps solve these problems :P

Of course, we could just assume that rather than the universe getting bigger, we're getting smaller, thus giving the impression of expansion.

I think it's a great concept. Nissan can still build inexpesive cars, and use their vast resources & experience to build a fine luxury car. That's why I chose a G35.

Yes, exactly, and if it once came into existence, didn't it come from something in something? Nothing can come from nothing. What came before the big bang? Something always had to precede something right? Where does it all begin/end??

Here's my take on a subject I only know little about.

Does the infinite exist?
Mathematically or philosophically?
Mathematically, I agree with SATCHMO's answer about it being apart from human concept. This includes mathematics, obviously.

Therefore;

Is it a number?
No.

Does it exist in a tangible sense? Does it exist at all?
Yes. The universe is expanding...infinitely. The outer limits are expanding faster than the speed of light (apparently) due to expansion. (I have a question. Doesn't that mean that the universe is finite?)
Beyond the outer limits and what lies beyond (if anything), I have no idea. I'm as head fucked as the Croatian on that one...who isn't?

Does it scare you?
Yes and no!
Yes, if I spent an awful long time trying to wrap my head around it and no because the chances of me being successful at actually wrapping my head around it are pretty remote.
I see no point in being afraid of something I don't fully understand.
Ignorance is bliss.

what?

ooooh!!!

hahaha...

This is a good point.

Well if you agree with the principle of the law of conservation of energy then it's reasonable to assume that energy was always present in some form, and simply coalesced or cataclysm[ed] at some point or another (the big bang being a result of that) and changed form into what we recognize today as subatomic matter.

I personally don't believe there was nothing, then something. It's easier for me to believe that energy itself, in a primal form, is a natural state of existence in all contexts, in the same sense that we tend to think of nothingness as being a natural state of existence without an influencing factor. If this is the case, there would be no need for it to have been created... there would only have been a need for it to have changed form.

The force that could have caused that change would then be the real question. I would tend to just chalk it up to potential given enough time.



Adding to this, when people speak about the outer boundaries of the universe, I wouldn't think it so hard to believe that it's simply the zone where this change is still happening further and wider into an infinite area of primal energy, which would pretty much be creating more space for our universe to expand into.

Interesting theory, it does wrap up everything quite nicely.

there are many theories regarding the big bang and how it started, many involve the idea of matter and anti-matter; that the total sum of the two is zero, and that whatever cause them to split caused two separate universes in the process, one of matter and one of anti-matter. one theory goes on to extrapolate that we now have two universes acting in tandem, each going through an endless cycle. As one goes from Big Bang to a death caused by over-expansion, leading to everything freezing over from a lack of energy (Heat Death), the other goes from this head death all the way to a Reverse big bang, known as the Monobloc, in which all matter gets crushed into a point... from which it explodes again. The two work in tandem, always taking up the same amount of space (in total).

Problem with that theory is that while it avoids the "what are we expanding into" infinite problem, it has the added problem of a "how the hell did this cycle start" infinite problem.

@RT: Theoretically speaking, the Universe has to have finite volume, as without infinite time something cannot increase to infinity, just to a very, very large number.

Yeah, but on both accounts, time and space, you come to the conclusion that there was an infinite something which came out of the infinite something. And it's been there forever. My time and space bound brain can't really rap around it, I need an end and a begging to make sense of anything and there doesn't appear to be one logically.

Anything outside our plain of existence (i.e our universe or the fabric of it) may not follow the rules or laws of this reality that we're accustomed to. Outside of our universe Space and Time may not be as inseparable as they are here, so could time exist seperetly from space? Do time or space exist at all? To say infinity is impossible is to simply say within this plain, in which most everything has a beginning and ultimately an ending.

Well if it does, what's after that?

Infinity is a pretty cool guy. Eh recurs forever and doesn't afraid of anything.

No, I was trying to say that there could be an infinite state being composed of primal energy/potential that didn't have to come from anywhere at all... that just "is" and exists that way in its natural state, and has infinite spacial dimensions. It couldn't be contained in anything because there is nothing outside it.... so it would have to be infinite. Think of it in terms of this "state of energy" being infinity itself. And think of infinity as being the point at which our 3 dimensional understanding of space becomes irrelevant.
You would have to assume that since something can't come from nothing, that "nothing" is actually something that simply changed form in a lot of fundamental ways. And there can't be an ultimate "outside". So somewhere in this infinite state of potential matter, a change happens at some tiny point, giving birth to a finite, but expanding change of physical state which we know as our spatially constructed universe and containing matter that built the stuff inside it. For as long as the universe would be contained inside this infinite state, the universe could not be infinite in terms of our dimensional constraints, regardless of how long or wide the expansion became. It would only get larger in relation to ourselves. The paradox to this is that would only be true if you were able to somehow fly to the edge of the universe and catch up with the expansion... so effectively, to us, the universe may as well be infinite.

Of course, these are all simply ideas I'm jamming off the top of my head, but I'm really interested in this stuff and it's something I constantly think about. I'm definitely down for refining ideas.