Naming Infinity

In 1913, Russian imperial marines stormed an Orthodox monastery at Mt. Athos, Greece, to haul off monks engaged in a dangerously heretical practice known as Name Worshipping. Exiled to remote Russian outposts, the monks and their mystical movement went underground. Ultimately, they came across Russian intellectuals who embraced Name Worshipping—and who would achieve one of the biggest mathematical breakthroughs of the twentieth century, going beyond recent French achievements. Loren Graham and Jean-Michel Kantor take us on an exciting mathematical mystery tour as they unravel a bizarre tale of political struggles, psychological crises, sexual complexities, and ethical dilemmas. At the core of this book is the contest between French and Russian mathematicians who sought new answers to one of the oldest puzzles in math: the nature of infinity. The French school chased rationalist solutions. The Russian mathematicians, notably Dmitri Egorov and Nikolai Luzin—who founded the famous Moscow School of Mathematics—were inspired by mystical insights attained during Name Worshipping. Their religious practice appears to have opened to them visions into the infinite—and led to the founding of descriptive set theory. The men and women of the leading French and Russian mathematical schools are central characters in this absorbing tale that could not be told until now. Naming Infinity is a poignant human interest story that raises provocative questions about science and religion, intuition and creativity.

'Science has never had an advocate quite like David Deutsch ... A computational physicist on a par with his touchstones Alan Turing and Richard Feynman, and a philosopher in the line of his greatest hero, Karl Popper. His arguments are so clear that to read him is to experience the thrill of the highest level of discourse available on this planet and to understand it' Peter Forbes, Independent In our search for truth, how far have we advanced? This uniquely human quest for good explanations has driven amazing improvements in everything from scientific understanding and technology to politics, moral values and human welfare. But will progress end, either in catastrophe or completion - or will it continue infinitely? In this profound and seminal book, David Deutsch explores the furthest reaches of our current understanding, taking in the Infinity Hotel, supernovae and the nature of optimism, to instill in all of us a wonder at what we have achieved - and the fact that this is only the beginning of humanity's infinite possibility. 'This is Deutsch at his most ambitious, seeking to understand the implications of our scientific explanations of the world ... I enthusiastically recommend this rich, wide-ranging and elegantly written exposition of the unique insights of one of our most original intellectuals' Michael Berry, Times Higher Education Supplement 'Bold ... profound ... provocative and persuasive' Economist 'David Deutsch may well go down in history as one of the great scientists of our age' Scotsman

What is infinity? Explore this fascinating and complex math concept and its purpose in our world in this picture book that both demystifies and explains. Perfect for kids who grew up on Baby University books like Quantum Physics for Babies. Defining infinity is difficult. But there is one thing people do every day that leads to infinity—counting. No matter what large number you name, there is always a larger number. By reading this book, kids can begin to think about this and other powerful ideas involving infinity, including how infinity relates to rocket science. Featuring clear text and beautiful photographs, this is an excellent choice for kids who want to delve deeper into math and science and for those ready to look at the world in a new way.

A biography of the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. The book gives a detailed account of his upbringing in India, his mathematical achievements, and his mathematical collaboration with English mathematician G. H. Hardy. The book also reviews the life of Hardy and the academic culture of Cambridge University during the early twentieth century.

The first eleven chapters of Genesis (Adam, Eve, Noah) are to the twenty-first century what the Virgin Birth was to the nineteenth century: an impossibility. A technical scientific exegesis of Gen 1-11, however, reveals not only the lost rivers of Eden and its location, but the date of the Flood, the length of the Genesis days, and the importance of comets in the creation of the world. These were hidden in the Hebrew text, now illuminated by modern cosmology, archaeology, and biology. The internet-friendly linguistic tools described in this book make it possible to resolve the mysterious "firmament," to decipher the "bird of the air," and to find the dragonflies of chapter 1. Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Norse, Sumerian, and Sanskrit mythology are all found to support this new interpretation of Genesis. Combining science, myth, and the Genesis accounts together paints a vivid picture of the genetic causes and consequences of the greatest Flood of the human race. It also draws attention to the acute peril our present civilization faces as it follows the same path as its long-forgotten, antediluvian ancestors. Discover why Genesis has never been so possible, so relevant as it is today.

What should philosophical theology look like after the critique of Onto-theology, after Phenomenology, and in the age of Speculative Realism? What does Kabbalah have to say to Philosophy? Since Kant and especially since Husserl, philosophy has only permitted itself to speak about how one relates to God in terms of the intentionality of consciousness and not of how God is in himself. This meant that one could only ever speak to God as an addressed and yearned-for holy Thou, but not to God as infinite creator of all. In this book-length essay, the author argues that reality itself is made up of the Holy Name of God. Drawing upon the set-theoretical ontology of Alain Badiou, the computational theory of Stephen Wolfram, the physics of Frank Tipler, the psychoanalytical theory of Jacques Lacan, and the genius of Georg Cantor, the author works to demonstrate that the universe is a computer processing the divine Name and that all existence is made of information (the bit). As a result of this ontic pan-computationalism, it is shown that the future resurrection of the dead can take place and how it may in fact occur. Along the way, the book also offers compelling critiques of several significant theories of reality, including the phenomenological theologies of Emmanuel Levinas and Jean-Luc Marion, Process Theology, and Object-Oriented Ontology.

A guide to the spiritual meaning and magic of the infinity symbol and how to activate its positive powers • Explains how the infinity symbol is the antidote to a negative, imbalanced world and how it can help reconnect the two halves of the brain and achieve balance and harmony in yourself, your relationships, and the wider world • Offers simple and practical exercises that harness the power of the infinity symbol for balance and harmony, including simple visualizations, physical exercises, and directed drawing of the symbol • Explores the many appearances of this universal symbol in history, mythology, different cultures, and the natural world Through the ages, the infinity symbol, a sideways figure eight, has represented eternal development and balance. Also known as the lemniscate, this powerful symbol stands for equilibrium, harmony, and the interconnectedness of all things. Although magical knowledge of symbols has often been kept secret throughout history, today the power of this symbol is available to all. In this accessible, hands-on guide, Barbara Heider-Rauter explores the spiritual world of the infinity symbol in a personal and practical way, allowing each of us to benefit from its positive influence for balance and harmony in ourselves, our relationships, and the wider world. She begins with a short exercise to attune readers to the energy field of the lemniscate. She explains how the infinity symbol offers the perfect response to a system that encourages separation and a world in which the negation of our feelings is often the source of illness and pain. She details simple exercises to reconnect the two halves of the brain, the analytical and the emotional, resulting in harmony and healing. She teaches how to use simple visualisation, physical exercises, and directed drawing of the symbol to achieve practical results in our daily lives. Beautifully illustrated in full color, the book also offers a wealth of information on the appearance of the infinity symbol through the ages in all its forms and contexts, from history and mythology to our own tiny body cells and the natural world. This book urges the reader to establish wholeness, to balance the scales of duality and find harmony. With the power of the lemniscate at hand, decisions will be made with greater ease and relationships filled with harmony and a lighter heart.

A dynamic exploration of infinity In Infinity and the Mind, Rudy Rucker leads an excursion to that stretch of the universe he calls the “Mindscape,” where he explores infinity in all its forms: potential and actual, mathematical and physical, theological and mundane. Using cartoons, puzzles, and quotations to enliven his text, Rucker acquaints us with staggeringly advanced levels of infinity, delves into the depths beneath daily awareness, and explains Kurt Gödel’s belief in the possibility of robot consciousness. In the realm of infinity, mathematics, science, and logic merge with the fantastic. By closely examining the paradoxes that arise, we gain profound insights into the human mind, its powers, and its limitations. This Princeton Science Library edition includes a new preface by the author.