Finiteness has to do with the existence of boundaries. Intuitively, we feel that where there is a separation, a border, a threshold – there is bound to be at least one thing finite out of a minimum of two. This, of course, is not true. Two infinite things can share a boundary. Infinity does not imply symmetry, let alone isotropy. An entity can be infinite to its “left” – and bounded on its right. Moreover, finiteness can exist where no boundaries can. Take a sphere: it is finite, yet we can continue to draw a line on its surface infinitely. The “boundary”, in this case, is conceptual and arbitrary: if a line drawn on the surface of a sphere were to reach its starting point – then it is finite. Its starting point is the boundary, arbitrarily determined to be so by us. This arbitrariness is bound to appear whenever the finiteness of something is determined by us, rather than “objectively, by nature”. A finite series of numbers is a fine example. WE limit the series, we make it finite by imposing boundaries on it and by instituting “rules of membership”: “A series of all the real numbers up to and including 1000” . Such a series has no continuation (after the number 1000). But, then, the very concept of continuation is arbitrary. Any point can qualify as an end (or as a beginning). Are the statements: “There is an end”, “There is no continuation” and “There is a beginning” – equivalent? Is there a beginning where there is an end ? And is there no continuation wherever there is an end? It all depends on the laws that we set. Change the law and an end-point becomes a starting point. Change it once more and a continuation is available. Legal age limits display such flexible properties. Finiteness is also implied in a series of relationships in the physical world : containment, reduction, stoppage. But, these, of course, are, again, wrong intuitions. They are at least as wrong as the intuitive connection between boundaries and finiteness. If something is halted (spatially or temporally) – it is not necessarily finite. An obstacle is the physical equivalent of a conceptual boundary. An infinite expansion can be checked and yet remain infinite (by expanding in other directions, for instance). If it is reduced – it is smaller than before, but not necessarily finite. If it is contained – it must be smaller than the container but, again, not necessarily fi... ... middle of paper ... ...tes the most serious problem of dealing with the infinite: that our language, our daily experience (=traversal) – all, to our minds, are “finite”. We are told that we had a beginning (which depends on the definition of “we”. The atoms comprising us are much older, of course). We are assured that we will have an end (an assurance not substantiated by any evidence). We have starting and ending points (arbitrarily determined by us). We count, then we stop (our decision, imposed on an infinite world). We put one thing inside another (and the container is contained by the atmosphere, which is contained by Earth which is contained by the Galaxy and so on, ad infinitum). In all these cases, we arbitrarily define both the parameters of the system and the rules of inclusion or exclusion. Yet, we fail to see that WE are the source of the finiteness around us. The evolutionary pressures to survive produced in us this blessed blindness. No decision can be based on an infinite amount of data. No commerce can take place where numbers are always infinite. We had to limit our view and our world drastically, only so that we will be able to expand it later, gradually and with limited, finite, risk.
The idea of ‘Eternalism’ stems from the concept that the past, present and future are all equally real in comparison with one another. It can be seen to be the case the things from the past or the present can be seen to exist just as must as in the present. For example, the 12th February 2014 is equally as real as the 12th March 2014; they’re just in different parts of the timeline of time. Although some things are not in the same time period as us right now, such as a dinosaur, does not mean that they did not exist at all, and certainly “does not mean that they shouldn’t be on the list of all existing...
... middle of paper ... ... Everything is basically relative and is what each separate person perceives it to be, just like the answers to the infinite questions posed by The Turn of the Screw. Works Cited Burrows, Stuart.
time and space to where we may all interpret an event as we see fit. I will
The Incarnation, however, provides the only instance wherein time and eternity collide and coexist; the only frame of reference that does not change based on location. The Incarnation gives time past, time present, and time future a simultaneous existence. The implications of simultaneity drastically alter reality both for Einstein and Eliot. Einstein’s theory allows for strange realizations, such as light functioning as both a particle and a wave at the same time and in the same way, which seems to break the foundational logical law of non-contradiction. This same problem of intrinsic contradiction haunts Eliot’s realization that the Incarnation redeems all of time by allowing it to exist
"Statistics." Intercountry Adoption . U. S. Department Of State, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
If an adoptees considering starting a family and needs to know his or her chance of
Adoption is such a great thing, and provides many children, with a family they have always wanted. There are local adoptions, domestic adoptions within families, and international adoptions. Even though adoption is a wonderful thing, there can be a negative side as well. There is always a risk of the children not bonding with the adoptive parents. These children, unfortunately, are at a higher risk for mental health disorders, and also, they are at risk for abandonment issues. There are community programs that aim to help adoptive parents, and the children.
Adoption has changed many lives for the better, including my own. By being adopted, it has allowed me to experience what it is like to live in a world of endless possibilities. It has taught me to be open to different cultures and how to adapt to a new society. Adoption is not just taking legal responsibility of a child; it’s a lifelong journey that guarantees the betterment of the next generation.
‘A fixed attribute is that which can at no point be separated and removed without fatal destruction resulting—as weight is to stones, heat to fire, liquidity to water, tangibility to all bodies, and intangibility to void’.
"Because all created things are limited, that which comes before and after them must be boundless" (Gaarder, Jostein 34)
Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy in February of 1564. As a teenager his moved to a monastery school, and then continued on at the University of Pisa where he studied medicine. He always had such a love for math and philosophy that he taught the two subjects at Pisa and then Padua. Galileo also studied motion, which he used for the majority of the rest of his career. His contributions ranged from the science of motion, astronomy, strength of materials, and of course the scientific method. His creation of inertia and the law of the falling bodies started the changes to the study of motion. The telescope opened up so many doors for Galileo and with that piece of equipment his discoveries were limitless. In 1609 his astronomical discoveries and observations started. Galileo is most known for his discoveries that he turned into a book, The Starry Messenger. In this book he covers his discoveries of the landscape on the moon, the light coming from the Milky Way, Jupiter and its moons, Sunspots and the phases of Venus.
However, Eternalists argue that there is no objective ontological difference between the three, there are only subjective differences similar to ‘here, there and far’ . This means that while all exist the same way, they are subjective to our point of
...argument that the universe is eternal, the first Cause must have knowledge on how to keep the universe in motion. In the argument that the universe is created, the first Cause must be knowledgeable on how to create the universe. The Creator must also be knowledgeable about the creators in the universe in which he created. He must know how to create each creature in a way that they will survive in the universe. The final characteristic that the first Cause must have is goodness. In either argument, the first Cause must be good in order to give parts of himself to a universe that is not necessary for his own survival.
A profound issue that is easy to understand is the distinction between if the universe is finite or infinite and that’s either in terms of time and space. Other questions deal with whether the universe goes on forever or does it have a limit? These