Infinity, Time, and Successive Addition
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21293771 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wes Morriston (0000-0002-6182-2644, University of Colorado Boulder, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 100 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 70-85 |
| Publication date | 2022-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Australasian Journal of Philosophy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-8402 • E-ISSN: 1470-6828 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00048402.2020.1865426 |
| OpenAlex | W3156380884 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 6 |
According to an influential line of argument, the past must be finite because no infinite series can be formed by successive addition. The present paper pinpoints the non sequitur at the heart of this argument, disentangles the ambiguities that disguise it, and dismantles the misleading picture of ‘traversing the infinite’ that gives the argument so much of its allure. Finally, the paper critically explores the related argument that a beginningless series of past events is impossible because there could be no explanation of its having been ‘completed’ at one time rather than another
Argument (complex analysis) · Epistemology · Infinity · Mathematical analysis · Series (stratigraphy) · Traverse · Computability, Logic, AI Algorithms · History and Theory of Mathematics · Mathematical and Theoretical Analysis · Mathematics · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,75 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2024 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |