The Grice Club

Welcome

The Grice Club

The club for all those whose members have no (other) club.

Is Grice the greatest philosopher that ever lived?

Search This Blog

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Weierstrass, the German professor who banished infinitesimals

Speranza

The position on the infinity caused Russell to settle for the idea that Zeno's arrow is truly at rest at

every moment of its flight.

Russell writes:
 
"After two thousand years of continual refutation, these sophisms were reinstated, and
made the foundation of a mathematical renaissance, by a German professor, who
probably never dreamed of any connection between himself and Zeno. Weierstrass, by
 

strictly banishing all infinitesimals, has at last shown that we live in an unchanging




world, and that the arrow, at every moment of its flight, is truly at rest (Russell,

1956:347).
 

No comments:

Post a Comment