The Mathematical Infinite as a Matter of Method

I address the historical emergence of the mathematical infinite, and how we are to take the infinite in and out of mathematics. The thesis is that the mathematical infinite in mathematics is a matter of method. The infinite, of course, is a large topic. At the outset, one can historically discern two overlapping clusters of concepts: (1) wholeness, completeness, universality, absoluteness. (2) endlessness, boundlessness, indivisibility, continuousness. The first, the metaphysical infinite, I shall set aside. It is the second, the mathematical infinite, that I will address. Furthermore, I will address the mathematical infinite by considering its historical emergence in set theory and how we are to take the infinite in and out of mathematics. Insofar as physics and, more broadly, science deals with the mathematical infinite through mathematical language and techniques, my remarks should be subsuming and consequent. The main underlying point is that how the mathematical infinite is approached, assimilated, and applied in mathematics is not a matter of “ontological commitment”, of coming to terms with whatever that might mean, but rather of epistemological articulation, of coming to terms through knowledge. The mathematical infinite in mathematics is a matter of method. How we deal with the specific individual issues involving the infinite turns on the narrative we present about how it fits into methodological mathematical frameworks established and being established. The first section discusses the mathematical infinite in historical context, and the second, set theory and the emergence of the mathematical infinite. The third section discusses the infinite in and out of mathematics, and how it is to be taken. ∗ Department of Mathematics, Boston University, 111 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA E-mail: [email protected] This article was written whilst the author was a 2009–2010 senior fellow at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg of the University of Göttingen; he expresses his gratitude for the productive conditions and support of the kolleg. The themes of this article were presented in a keynote address at the 2010 annual meeting of the Japan Association for the Philosophy of Science; the author expresses his gratitude for the invitation and the productive discussions that ensued.