The Infinite

This historical study of the infinite covers all its aspects from the mathematical to the mystical, from the limitlessness of space and time, and the endlessness of numbers, to the perfection of God. Beginning with an account of the main paradoxes of the infinite, including those of Zeno, A.W. Moore traces the history of the topic from Aristotle to Kant, Hegel, Cantor, and Wittgenstein. Recent technical work is examined in the light of Cantor's remarkable discovery that infinity comes in degrees: some infinite sets are much bigger than others. Moore also gives a crisp sketch of Godel's celebrated proof, his clear presentation enabling the non-mathematical reader to grasp deep mathematical issues.