Paradoxes, Prob & Proofs

Catalog description

Can a sentence be both true and false at the same time? Can a theorem be true if it has no proof? Can there be different sizes of infinity? Can a single solid ball be decomposed and reassembled to create two balls each with the same volume as the original? These questions all lie at the juncture of philosophy and the foundations of mathematics. This course examines the questions that have emerged in the 20th century about the nature of mathematical truth and the status of our mathematical knowledge. This is an interdisciplinary course that considers questions from both mathematical and philosophical perspectives.