RE: Jesus as Lord - why is this appealing to so many?
February 14, 2018 at 9:38 am
(This post was last modified: February 14, 2018 at 9:39 am by GrandizerII.)
(February 14, 2018 at 8:25 am)RoadRunner79 Wrote: I'm not all that concerned about the hotel or the library either. My point is that you started talking about sets, because then you can have a concept, but my question is about what that concept represents.
My problem is that it is easy in concept to just say that it is complete. This is because nothing ever needs to be complete (which is good, because by definition infinity is never complete) The problem is how do you have an actual infinity when there is always something more. In concept, we can use the magic ellipses 1+2+3....+N to say that the set is complete. However those ellipses represent something, and that representation keeps going on forever. In what way is it complete if it keeps going. What I am asking (and doubting) is that you can ever tie this abstract to something physical. Even if you are granted any starting condition you like (infinity always requires more).
An actual infinity is complete (I'll even dare say it's be definition). You're probably confusing it with potential infinity (maybe), and that is what is getting you all confused.
And yes, the ellipses we write them in, partly because we're human beings, we're not going to have all the time in the world to write the whole set literally. But it doesn't mean reality (especially when extending way beyond this local universe) isn't an example of a complete infinity represented by these sets.
(February 14, 2018 at 9:34 am)polymath257 Wrote: It isn't really clear to me what you are asking about. It is *possible* that space curves around on itself and is finite in extent. Currently, the *bet* is that this is not the case and that space is actually infinite. But it could be curved and just very, very big.
Meh, I can live with that.
