Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with infinity

Name that number.

Neiltupper — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:36:56 -0800

Sometime in the past two months, I came across a blog entry (I think) which asked for expressions for the "largest finite number" that could be submitted. Intuitively there is no such thing, but the piece toyed around with that idea. If I recall, there were few if any restrictions on the how the expression was written. Sorry I can't be more specific than that. I'm not interested in "all you have to do is add one" replies, only pointers to the site if the general parameters of the question are familiar to anyone

Examples of Mise en Abyme (in form)

0bvious — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:57:37 -0800

Recursion filter: I recently came across the phrase 'Mise en Abyme' and have become fascinated by recursion in literature, language and film. What writings have used these themes in their form to address the questions they posed? The idea of presenting the form of a text/film/critique so that it exemplifies the question posed fascinates me (so for instance, if I asked 'what is recursion?' and my essay contained a footnote which refered back to the text which then refered back to the footnote, then in some simple sense I have a form of recursion in my essay).

What writers, film-makers etc. have integrated aspects of Mise en Abyme into their work in this exemplary manner? (I am more interested in non-fiction pieces, but realise that a lot of fiction out there which has used this technique are formally very unique.)

I have a copy of Gödel, Escher, Bach sitting on my bookshelf, staring at me. I am also well versed in the works of Foucault, Barthes and Derrida.

Thanks for reading

How Things 'Become': The Infinity of Definition

0bvious — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:18:41 -0800

I am looking for writings on the infinity of definition. I am interested in the exponentially divergent curve that is definition.

We create writings and art to better define the world, yet true definition is infinite.

We mediate the universe by erecting borders of definition, i.e. all striped, four-legged, hooved mammals are probably zebras. We categorise the universe into hierarchies, but the more we examine the more pronounced and expansive these hierarchies become.

Language is our greatest defining tool. Yet, the metaphors we evolve to expand the potential of language can themselves only be made to refer back to the language which created them. An infinite loop emerges in most definition.

As new technology emerges we use it to 'add' meaning to artifacts which are already partly defined. By looking at the world with ever more refined microscopes we bring reality into greater clarity. This metaphor can be expanded to refer to texts, art, archaeology, culture etc.

Who has written on the problem of definition? What critical theory has been written on the emergence of infinity?

This question adds on to past questions I have asked at MeFi including (in reverse order):

- Art and artifacts experienced through technology
- The mimetic and narrative capacities of artefacts
- Examples of 'The Infinite' in Myth and Their Effect on Conditions of Truth

Here's hoping you have some ideas...

Examples of 'The Infinite' in Myth and Their Effect on Conditions of Truth

0bvious — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:32:00 -0800

I am searching for examples of The Infinite, or the immeasurably large, in our mythologies and archetypes. I am also interested in the categories of Truth which came out of the emergence of Western, ontological thought. Does the trust in a rationally conceivable reality deny us the infinity of the mythological realm? By rooting ourselves in the present, and denying atemporal mythologies, do we also deny the infinite origins from where we came? Mythologically rooted cultures do not usually posit a beginning of time. Humans exist as part of a holistic cycle which spans back and forward into the infinite realm of mythology. There can really be no 'truth' in this perennial world of myth, where the spiritual and 'unseen' realm is just as 'real' as our present state of being.

Western 'truth' (ontologically defined rationality) denies the holism of all things (as do the Monotheistic religions), actively attributing identity to patterns perceived in the world we can see (or to God). This taxonomy or identification of patterns creates a false belief in a fully formed reality - a 'truth'. This taxonomic understanding is to simulacrum what philosophical enquiry was to Plato's shadows in the cave. In consequence, our distinction from The Infinite, from the realm of myth, qualifies us as distinct from reality - we live the simulation, not the absolute.

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I am just going off on one here, to outline vaguely what the forms of infinity, myth and ontology have had on our development (/evolution?).

Please feel free to agree, disagree or add to my examples.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to your responses.

What do you think of used Infinity vehicles?

jspierre — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:52:36 -0800

Would I be making a mistake or a great choice to buy a 2002 Inifinity I35 that I only plan to keep and finance for 36 months? I am considering the purchase of a 2002 Infinity I35 with about 75k miles. Does anyone have any experience with this make/model? Are they expensive to maintain? Lots of problems or relatively few compared to other vehicles you've owned?

I only plan to finace and own it for 3 years (36 months) and then trade in for something else, so my only wish is that I only have to pay for minor repairs in the 3 years I own it - perhaps less than $500/yr. I drive about 15k miles a year, so it will be a little over 105k miles when I get rid of it.

I've only seen really good reviews of this brand, so I'm a bit skeptical.

Your opinions and experiences are appreciated.

A Problem of Scale: Halfway in size between an atom and the universe

0bvious — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 16:10:04 -0800

"A human is halfway in size between an atom and the known universe"... This is a paraphrased quote I have come across several times. I like it. Who said it first? How true is it in the most literal sense? And, finally, what errors arrive in postulating a universe, or an atom, which can be measured AT ALL from our singular, relativistic, perspective? I found this quote from Cosmic Evolution which further complicates the whole relative size issue:

"Roughly halfway in size between an atom and a human, the amoeba has poor awareness and coordination. It generally responds only at the point stimulated, communicating the information sluggishly through the rest of its body. Although amoebas have developed a crude nervous system, living things that aspire to be more agile—and smarter—surely need quicker internal reactions." - link

Kind of sets another stage from which to view this question.

I also found this quote from Holmes Rolston which further complicates things:

"The human world stands about midway between the infinitesimal and the immense. The size of our planet is near the geometric mean of the size of the known universe and the size of the atom. The mass of a human being is the geometric mean of the mass of the earth and the mass of a proton. A person contains about 10²⁸ atoms, more atoms than there are stars in the universe. Such considerations yield perhaps only a relative location. Still, questions of place and proportion arise." - link

Who first made this often used statement? My earlier questions still stand :-)

Thanks...

More sand or stars?

names are hard — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 19:03:26 -0800

Are there more grains of sand on Earth or stars in the sky? Is an answer to this question possible or is it merely philosophical?

Forever and now in ink on skin

Kickstart70 — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:10:57 -0800

Tattoo planning: I'm looking for related symbols (by meaning, not appearance) of the lemniscate, enso, ouroboros, and apparently whatever the symbol between the buddha's eyes is called. Apparently they've got somewhat related meanings...the infinite, oneness of everything, etc. What other symbols are there?

If it helps with suggestions, I'm looking for something that brings in my love of the concept of infinity, the changes in my mind that accompanied learning about Zen buddhism, and my extreme computer-geek nature.

Is the universe finite?

painquale — Wed, 12 Jan 2005 12:27:41 -0800

Can anyone recommend any good recent articles or papers on whether the universe is infinite or finite? I've heard that scientists suspect that the universe is flat, which lends credence to the infinite-universe hypothesis. I've decided I don't know enough about this. Nothing too technical, please, though I'd prefer something more complex than an article from a newspaper science section.

Geometry Question

twine42 — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 16:26:46 -0800

Can anyone settle a 15 year old argument for me? It turned into one of those things "we don't talk about" but it's always bugged me. The question is simple and involves three points and a circle - more inside. Right... This argument was a simple one but it kept me and my father amused for hours. Okay, it kept me amused for hours and had him swearing. The trigger is simple - I stated that any three points could always be joined togther by a circle that passed though them all. It's a simple theory, and one to which he found many arguments. I think I killed them all appart from one. He loved telling me that three points in a straight line couldn't be linked, but I claimed that if he could have them infinitely straight then I could have a circle of invitite diameter. Ah the wonders of infinity.

Anyway, after all this time I wanted a proper answer, so I though I'd ask you guys. Am I right or was he? Can anyone give me a mathematical proof of it?