24.118 | Spring 2019 | Undergraduate

Paradox and Infinity

Readings

All readings can be found in the following textbook: 

 Buy at MIT Press Rayo, Agustín. On the Brink of Paradox: Highlights from the Intersection of Philosophy and Mathematics. MIT Press, 2019. ISBN: 9780262039413. [Preview with Google Books]

The following document should also be utilized: On the Brink of Paradox: List of Known Errors (PDF).

LEC # TOPICS READINGS
1 Introduction No assigned reading
2–4 Infinite Cardinalities  Chapter 1 
5–7 The Higher Infinite  Chapter 2 
8–9 Omega-Sequence Paradoxes Chapter 3 
10–11 Time Travel  Chapter 4
12–13 Newcomb’s Problem  Chapter 5
14–15 Probability Chapter 6
16–17 Non-Measurable Sets  Chapter 7
18–19 The Banach-Tarski Theorem Chapter 8
20–22 Computability  Chapter 9
23–24 Gödel’s Theorem  Chapter 10
25–26 Review  No assigned reading

Course Info

Instructor
As Taught In
Spring 2019
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Problem Sets