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. Here Rucker acquaints us with Gödel's rotating universe, in which it is theoretically possible to travel into the past, and explains an interpretation of quantum mechanics in which billions of parallel worlds are produced every microsecond. It is in the realm of infinity, he maintains, that mathematics, science, and logic merge with the fantastic. By closely examining the paradoxes that arise from this merging, we can learn a great deal about the human mind, its powers, and its limitations.
Using cartoons, puzzles, and quotations to enliven his text, Rucker guides us through such topics as the paradoxes of set theory, the possibilities of physical infinities, and the results of Gödel's incompleteness theorems. His personal encounters with Gödel the mathematician and philosopher provide a rare glimpse at genius and reveal what very few mathematicians have dared to admit: the transcendent implications of Platonic realism.
Using cartoons, puzzles, and quotations to enliven his text, Rucker guides us through such topics as the paradoxes of set theory, the possibilities of physical infinities, and the results of Gödel's incompleteness theorems. His personal encounters with Gödel the mathematician and philosopher provide a rare glimpse at genius and reveal what very few mathematicians have dared to admit: the transcendent implications of Platonic realism.
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Used availability for Rudy Rucker's Infinity and the Mind
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Hardback Editions
May 1982 : Hardback
| Title: Infinity and the Mind Author(s): Rucker Rudy, Rucker Ruby ISBN: 0-8176-3034-1 / 978-0-8176-3034-8 (USA edition) Publisher: Birkhauser Verlag Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
November 2004 : Paperback
| Title: Infinity and the Mind: The Science and Philosophy of the Infinite (Princeton Science Library) Author(s): Rudy Rucker ISBN: 0-691-12127-3 / 978-0-691-12127-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Princeton University Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
August 1997 : Paperback
| Title: Infinity And The Mind Author(s): Rudy Rucker ISBN: 0-14-026295-4 / 978-0-14-026295-7 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin UK Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
December 1995 : Paperback
| Title: Infinity and the Mind: The Science and Philosophy of the Infinite Author(s): Rudy Rucker ISBN: 0-691-00172-3 / 978-0-691-00172-2 (USA edition) Publisher: Princeton University Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
December 1983 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: Infinity and the Mind Author(s): Rucker Rudy ISBN: 0-553-23433-1 / 978-0-553-23433-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Bantam Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
November 1983 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: Infinity and the Mind Author(s): Rudy Rucker ISBN: 0-553-25531-2 / 978-0-553-25531-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Bantam Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1982 : Paperback
| Title: Infinity and the Mind Author(s): Rudy Rucker Publisher: Bantam Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
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