Leibniz's characteristic numbers I apologize if this is just a can of worms, but it seems related to comp:
All of his life, Leibniz sought to be able to develop a universal calculus, in which (as I understand it) ideas could be discussed and debated unambiguously. Issues could be settled arithmetically or algebraically. Here is a comment on Leibniz' presumed goal: http://www.rbjones.com/rbjpub/philos/classics/leibniz/meth_math.htm "Towards a Universal Characteristic An ancient saying has it that God created everything according to weight, measure, and number. However, there are many things which cannot be weighed, namely, whatever is not affected by force or power; and anything which is not divisible into parts escapes measurement. On the other hand, there is nothing which is not subsumable under number. Number is therefore, so to speak, a fundamental metaphysical form, and arithmetic a sort of statics of the universe, in which the powers of things are revealed.' I appologize it this is just a can of worms, but in relation to that project Leibniz developed a set of "characteristic numbers", (put leibniz characteristic numbers into Google.) which to me, a non-mathematician, appears to be a form of set theory, such as, if I got it right, all a is b some a is b no a is b some a is not b so each number a is actually a pair of numbers (or IMO terms) logically related by Aristotle's logic. It has been applied (apparently with some problems) to cognitivism by Dreyfus: http://www.springerlink.com/content/gk5115u747772604/ Roger Clough, [email protected] 9/19/2012 "Forever is a long time, especially near the end." -Woody Allen -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
