*************
The following message is relayed to you by [email protected]
************
I don't claim to be a logician or mathematician. But my understanding is
that Godel's work explains the halting problem in computer programming,
proving that no algorithm (based on logic) can ever analyze a piece of
software and discover whether it can produce an infinite loop.
I believe the idea is that no logical system can be fully understood
from within itself, so no system of logic is ever complete - there are
always truths about the system that cannot be proven by referring to the
system only. It takes an outside observer to discern the missing truths.
Kind of like, no mind can ever fully understand itself, because the
perspective it observes itself from will always be a blind spot.
By "power of logic" I simply meant its usefulness as a tool.
On 6/23/2012 3:42 PM, Martin Foster wrote:
*************
The following message is relayed to you by [email protected]
************
On 21 June 2012 16:47, Glen Strathy wrote:
The power of logic is undeniable. Nonetheless, I think Kurt Godel
proved that logic has its limits.
Logic has no power - It is merely disciplined thinking.
Go"del's theorem's state: As I understand them??
Theorem 1.In any logical system one can construct statements that are
neither true nor false.
(Of course one can. Isn't this a variation of the liars paradox that
schoolkids play around with and which can be avoided in logic by not
making self referential statements which cause circles of logic)
and
Theorem 2: Therefore no consistent system can be used to prove its own
consistency. No proof can be proof of itself.
Does theorem 2 follow from 1? - It doesn't seem to? and why would you
want to prove postulates or axioms? Wouldn't a tautological system in
which one accepted the evidence of perception be more useful.
If you accept Go"del's incompleteness theorem then you must also
accept that the theorem itself is incomplete. lol
Martin
_______________________________________________
Trom mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.newciv.org/mailman/listinfo/trom
_______________________________________________
Trom mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.newciv.org/mailman/listinfo/trom
