Online talk by Sorin Bangu (University of Bergen): "Wittgenstein on irrationals" (joint work with Jeffrey Schatz)

June 30, at 11 am CEST, IHPST, Paris, France

Abstract:
This talk has two goals. First, we reconstruct Wittgenstein's views on what counts as a legitimate irrational -- since, as he repeatedly suggests, and in agreement with mathematicians such as Emile Borel, not just every infinite string of digits qualifies as one. Once his conception ('full-blooded intensionalism') is sketched out, and its specificity is highlighted by comparing it with two other cognate views ('extensionalism' and 'quasi-intensionalism'), our second objective is to examine how his type of intensionalism impacts his attitude towards Cantor's theorem. In this regard, the more general claim we argue for is that, despite appearances to the contrary, Wittgenstein was not a revisionist about set-theoretical practice. 

Zoom link:

zoom.univ-paris1.fr/j/98973808434?pwd=L1J3SW43T3FZZ00zM3NBdWxyTDZJQT09
Meeting ID: 989 7380 8434
Passcode: 178700

Organizers: Marianna Antonutti and Vincent Ardourel

IHPST, Paris, France