Mathematical Definition of Infinity?
| Article | |
|---|---|
| Title | Mathematical Definition of Infinity? |
| Author(s) | Glenn Borchardt |
| Published in | The Scientific Worldview |
| Date | 2025-12-08 |
| Subject area | Physics |
| Topics | infinity, mathematics |
Read online | Read the full article |
Archived copy | Archived version |
| Retrieved | 2026-07-23 |
"Mathematical Definition of Infinity?" is an article by Glenn Borchardt published on 8 December 2025 on The Scientific Worldview. His answer is no, on the ground that to define is to make finite.
A reader had asked whether infinity could be given a general mathematical definition rather than illustrated by examples such as Cantor's diagonal argument. Borchardt replies that any such equation would have to be infinitely long, since mathematics is by nature an abstraction — a shortening of the infinite characteristics actually observed — and so is the wrong instrument for capturing the thing it abbreviates.