Zeno's Paradoxes [Paperback]

Wesley C. Salmon (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001 | ISBN-10: 0872205606 | ISBN-13: 978-0872205604

These essays lead the reader through the land of the wonderful shrinking genie to the warehouse where the 'infinity machines' are kept. By careful examination of a lamp that is switched on and off infinitely many times, or the workings of a machine that prints out an infinite decimal expansion of pi, we begin to understand how it is possible for Achilles to overtake the tortoise. The concepts that form the basis of modern science -- space, time, motion, change, infinity -- are examined and explored in this edition. Includes an updated bibliography. A reprint of the Bobbs-Merrill edition of 1970.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wesley C Salmon, Editor

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co Inc (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872205606
• ISBN-13: 978-0872205604
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #945,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Survey of Modern Reaction, May 8, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zeno's Paradoxes (Paperback)

This is a great introduction to the modern reaction to Zeno's paradoxes. The most important articles from Russell to the debates on infinity machines are included. The bibliography, at over 200 works, is the best I've seen. There is a mathematical bent to most of the articles, usually in the form of questions of infinity, or measure theory. Nonetheless, there are articles by philosophers who reject the idea of a completed infinity. I did a semester-long college project on Zeno's paradoxes, focusing on mathematical implications, and this was the most useful sourcebook by far.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Investigation of the Notion of Infinity, March 20, 2006

By 

Raphael Rosen "Reviewer" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Zeno's Paradoxes (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It's a great survey of the notion of infinity, and the quality of the prose is, for the most part, very good. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in philosophy, mathematics, or the history of thought.