Although I am not a mathematician, I do have certain common sense ideas (at least to me) that seem certain to me about mathematics. I will provide my thoughts here and if any mathematicians who read them should find them comical, then go ahead and have a laugh; I am happy to entertain you.
To begin with, from what I have read about the axioms of Peano and Frege, they consider zero and infinity to be numbers. But I cannot see how either zero or infinity can be numbers. Number has to be a limitation of something but zero does not limit anything. Zero actually means "no number" and how can this be a number? Zero actually means nothing. Nothing never figures in mathematical calculations. Nothing can be the result of a mathematical calculation such as 1-1=0, but cannot figure in the calculation itself. One cannot subtract, add, multiply or divide by using zero. Zero cannot be a number. The calculation 1+0=1 cannot be a true calculation since it merely affirms that nothing can be added to one.
Infinity also cannot be a number because it too does not limit anything. One cannot add, subtract, multiply or divide using infinity. Infinity cannot figure in any calculation, although it too can be the result of a calculation. There can be no such things as infinite numbers or classes of infinite things because all such things are limited by definition. The formula "n equals n+1" cannot describe infinity because if "n" is a number then it has to be finite no matter how large, and if one adds a one to it then one only has a larger number by a factor of one. This formula merely confirms that numbers must be finite. If "n" is considerd to be infinity itself, then it cannot equal itself because this would be a limitation, and also a one cannot be added to it. Infinity can only be absolutely unlimited. This can be the only true definition of infinity since any other definition would, of necessity, be limited.
There are some strange similarities between the ideas of zero and infinity. Neither of these ideas can be understood by the finite mind, and yet somehow we have the ideas of them and can use them in limited ways.
Some empirical philosophers speculate that the idea of infinity has been acquired by the idea of one end following another end somehow leaping to the idea of infinity. But the idea of one end following another end must always be a finite idea since this series always comes to an end no matter how far it goes. The leap to infinity that the empiricists imagine can only be a metaphysical and speculative leap which they do not believe ever reveals any truth.
The finite mind also never experiences nothing except as an idea. We never see nothing. We only see things through nothing. Nothingness can never be seen or felt. We cannot imagine nothing. We can imagine a dark or light screen but not nothing. Nothingness is always an inference of the mind. Space cannot be nothing in a direct way. Space is an extension between objects, but the idea that space is nothing is merely an inference.
All of this raises the question: How did we ever acquire the ideas of nothing and infinity? These ideas must be real because unreality always lies beyond experience in the realm of nothingness or the unknown. These ideas also must be real because we can use them in limited ways. Unreality is always useless. The only possible answer to this question must be that there exists an Infinite Mind who gave these ideas to the finite mind.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Commentary on Hegel
Hegel was an idealist but he was not a dualist. Although he believed that mind creates reality, he also believed that mind is a form of matter itself. He was a monist who thought that mind united with matter formed the one basic substance of the world. This belief formed the basis of his famous dictum: "What is real is rational; what is rational is real."
Hegel was right to maintain that mind creates reality, but he was wrong to contend that mind is only a form of matter. Hegel did not take into account that in order to write his philosophy based on the idea of the unity of mind and matter, he had to be aware of what he was writing. In other words, he could know nothing about his philosophy unless he was conscious of it. This means he had to separate his consciousness from that part of his consciousness that believed that mind is in unity with matter.
This process forms the basis of self-consciousness. In order for one to be self-conscious, one must also be conscious of the fact that one is conscious of something. But in order to be conscious of this self-consciousness one must also be conscious of the fact that this process could extend to infinity if the finite mind had the power to carry it that far.
Yet, even though we cannot carry this process to infinity, humans nevertheless possess the idea of infinity. With this in mind, then the question arises: If Hegel's dictum about the unity of mind and matter were true, then how could he ever become conscious of this fact since his mind had to have been locked into a unity with matter? In such a condition, he could only have been directly conscious of matter, like an animal.
Yet Hegel, like all intelligent humans, possessed the idea of infinity, which proves that his consciousness, like ours, continuously separated from itself in order to establish self-consciousness. But if Hegel's philosophy were true, then self-consciousness would be impossible and so would the idea of infinity.
Yet, despite the finiteness of our consciousness, we somehow possess the idea of infinity. This could only be true if our finite consciousness were somehow connected to infinity. But this means that infinity has to be a real entity. This real entity has to be an Infinite Consciousness since infinity is an idea in a conscious process that can extend to infinity. Beside this, if Infinity were not also Conscious, it would possess no power to give this idea to finite consciousness.
All of this put together means that if consciousness were really in unity with matter, then matter would also have to be infinite, but it is not. Matter is finite because it is limited by nothingness.
All of this means that God must exist, and that consciousness has to be quite different from matter. Reality has a dual nature; that is, mind makes matter real. That is the purpose of consciousness in the universe. The ultimate reality is an Infinite Reality.
Hegel was right to maintain that mind creates reality, but he was wrong to contend that mind is only a form of matter. Hegel did not take into account that in order to write his philosophy based on the idea of the unity of mind and matter, he had to be aware of what he was writing. In other words, he could know nothing about his philosophy unless he was conscious of it. This means he had to separate his consciousness from that part of his consciousness that believed that mind is in unity with matter.
This process forms the basis of self-consciousness. In order for one to be self-conscious, one must also be conscious of the fact that one is conscious of something. But in order to be conscious of this self-consciousness one must also be conscious of the fact that this process could extend to infinity if the finite mind had the power to carry it that far.
Yet, even though we cannot carry this process to infinity, humans nevertheless possess the idea of infinity. With this in mind, then the question arises: If Hegel's dictum about the unity of mind and matter were true, then how could he ever become conscious of this fact since his mind had to have been locked into a unity with matter? In such a condition, he could only have been directly conscious of matter, like an animal.
Yet Hegel, like all intelligent humans, possessed the idea of infinity, which proves that his consciousness, like ours, continuously separated from itself in order to establish self-consciousness. But if Hegel's philosophy were true, then self-consciousness would be impossible and so would the idea of infinity.
Yet, despite the finiteness of our consciousness, we somehow possess the idea of infinity. This could only be true if our finite consciousness were somehow connected to infinity. But this means that infinity has to be a real entity. This real entity has to be an Infinite Consciousness since infinity is an idea in a conscious process that can extend to infinity. Beside this, if Infinity were not also Conscious, it would possess no power to give this idea to finite consciousness.
All of this put together means that if consciousness were really in unity with matter, then matter would also have to be infinite, but it is not. Matter is finite because it is limited by nothingness.
All of this means that God must exist, and that consciousness has to be quite different from matter. Reality has a dual nature; that is, mind makes matter real. That is the purpose of consciousness in the universe. The ultimate reality is an Infinite Reality.
Monday, June 16, 2014
A Commentary on UNDERSTANDABLE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE by Dr. Samuel Gipp.
This article constitutes a review and commentary on UNDERSTANDABLE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE by Dr. Samuel Gipp. This book may be ordered from any Christian Bookstore.
Dr. Gipp's book is truly an eye-opening and enlightening message. This book not only exposes and explains the conspiracies of Satan's minions to alter and discredit the true Word of God, the King James Bible; but it also reveals the true but hidden history of mankind that one does not find in the secular history books.
One can come to understand from reading this book that the true history of the world amounts to a constant and unrelenting war between God and Satan for the souls of men. Evil is not a disjointed aberration that pops up here and there in the course of history, but constitutes in fact a unified and intelligently planned conspiracy hidden within the course of history and imbued with the secret goal of the complete ruination of the human race. This intelligent plan provides good evidence that there must be an intelligent planner behind this hidden conspiracy. This conspiracy is so ingenious that the planner has even succeeded in hiding the fact that it even exists. Such an ingenious conspiracy can only attest to the fact that somewhere Satan actually exists. Not that true Christians doubted his existence, but most Christians are just not aware of how truly cunning and insidious he really is.
This hidden conspiracy reinforces the truth of Genesis 3:1 (KJB) where the Word of God describes the serpent as being "more subtil than any creature of the field which the Lord had made." This serpent had become "subtil" because it had become possessed by the spirit of Satan himself. This also explains why God in Genesis 3:14 (KJB) cursed the serpent, condemning it to become a legless , crawling creature forever a symbol of silent cunning and poisonous evil. Behind the scenes of history, Satan has certainly lived up to his serpentine character, and most people are not even aware of this fact.
In Colossians 1:15-17 (KJB), the Bible teaches that absolutely everything that is real, "visible and invisible;" God created. Not only is the physical world of our senses real, but every idea, every mathematical principle, every creative plan; literally absolutely everything that is useful and good is real and was created by God. In addition, in accordance with Hebrews 11:3 (KJB), God reveals that all of His creations "were framed by the Word of God." This means that not only did God create the physical world, but also all of the mathematical and scientific ideas and plans by which He "framed" it. God created the universe and life in accordance with the information in His Mind. This can only mean that absolutely everything, "visible and invisible," that God has created must be real, and has a direct connection to the Word of God.
Thus, all scientific principles belong to God. This fact explains why at about the same time that Satan launched his insidious attacks against the Word of God through such apostates as Westcott and Hort, he also advanced an attack against God's true scientific principles being discovered by Galileo, Newton and Pasteur. Satan used an amateur scientist and atheist named Charles Darwin to advance the false theory of evolution in a parallel attempt to discredit the Word of God by direct and indirect means. However, recent scientific discoveries have shown that God is currently in the process of reasserting His ownership of the true scientific principles.
All true political principles also belong to God. In the Noahic covenant, God established human government based on His true principles. According to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 11:25-27 (KJB), God has always tended to reveal and preserve His Word through the efforts of common people. The common people are those who have no special talents, such as fishermen and farmers. This does not mean that God cannot save and use an intellectual person. God certainly saved and used the Apostle Paul who possessed one of the greatest intellects in the history of the world. But this tendency of God to use the common people accounts for the fact that the pure Word of God was preserved and delivered to us through the efforts of the common Christians in Antioch and not through the learned centers in Alexandria. These facts may also explain why governments throughout history which have been controlled by all the people have by far been the most successful.
Satan knows all this. These facts account for why at about the same time that he began his textual and scientific attacks against the Word of God, he also began to advance an attack against the political beliefs of the common people, such as the yearning for freedom that lies within the hearts of most people. Satan used the atheist Karl Marx to spread false political ideas to the common people in an attempt to discredit the Word of God in their minds. Communism and Nazism employed direct and cruel methods to impose these false ideas on the common people forcefully. The socialists and liberals use the far more subtle method of simply bribing the people into following their false ideas. But God created and owns the true political principles, and someday when Jesus comes to rule the earth, He will use these true principles.
No doubt, Satan thought that he was on the verge of winning the war for the control of the human race when he started the false religion of Roman Catholicism in about the third century. This false religion enjoyed great religious and political power over the minds of many people for many centuries, but its false Vulgate never replaced the true latin vulgate used by the common people. Then, God raised up great men of the Reformation to counterattack this false religion and preserve His true Word in the King James Bible.
Satan has very cleverly used infiltration to try to corrupt God's science, His politics, His Church and even His Word, but God will defeat all of Satan's evil efforts. Indeed, God has already defeated Satan through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son. John 12:31-32 (KJB).
The last remaining question has to be: What constitutes the essence of this evil conspiracy? The answer can be found in Proverbs 6:16-17 (KJB). That sin that caused Lucifer to rebel against God, that sin that caused Satan to deceive Eve into disobeying God, that sin that has inspired evil men throughout history to try to destroy the Word of God and all true principles that are connected to it, that false system of ideas that has so powerfully gripped the minds of angels and men is called pride. Just as the "born again" experience is a true conversion to the truth of God's Word, so pride seems to be a subtle and powerful conversion to the falsity of all that is unholy. Only by the guidance of the Spirit can the Bible be fully understood.
Dr. Gipp's book is truly an eye-opening and enlightening message. This book not only exposes and explains the conspiracies of Satan's minions to alter and discredit the true Word of God, the King James Bible; but it also reveals the true but hidden history of mankind that one does not find in the secular history books.
One can come to understand from reading this book that the true history of the world amounts to a constant and unrelenting war between God and Satan for the souls of men. Evil is not a disjointed aberration that pops up here and there in the course of history, but constitutes in fact a unified and intelligently planned conspiracy hidden within the course of history and imbued with the secret goal of the complete ruination of the human race. This intelligent plan provides good evidence that there must be an intelligent planner behind this hidden conspiracy. This conspiracy is so ingenious that the planner has even succeeded in hiding the fact that it even exists. Such an ingenious conspiracy can only attest to the fact that somewhere Satan actually exists. Not that true Christians doubted his existence, but most Christians are just not aware of how truly cunning and insidious he really is.
This hidden conspiracy reinforces the truth of Genesis 3:1 (KJB) where the Word of God describes the serpent as being "more subtil than any creature of the field which the Lord had made." This serpent had become "subtil" because it had become possessed by the spirit of Satan himself. This also explains why God in Genesis 3:14 (KJB) cursed the serpent, condemning it to become a legless , crawling creature forever a symbol of silent cunning and poisonous evil. Behind the scenes of history, Satan has certainly lived up to his serpentine character, and most people are not even aware of this fact.
In Colossians 1:15-17 (KJB), the Bible teaches that absolutely everything that is real, "visible and invisible;" God created. Not only is the physical world of our senses real, but every idea, every mathematical principle, every creative plan; literally absolutely everything that is useful and good is real and was created by God. In addition, in accordance with Hebrews 11:3 (KJB), God reveals that all of His creations "were framed by the Word of God." This means that not only did God create the physical world, but also all of the mathematical and scientific ideas and plans by which He "framed" it. God created the universe and life in accordance with the information in His Mind. This can only mean that absolutely everything, "visible and invisible," that God has created must be real, and has a direct connection to the Word of God.
Thus, all scientific principles belong to God. This fact explains why at about the same time that Satan launched his insidious attacks against the Word of God through such apostates as Westcott and Hort, he also advanced an attack against God's true scientific principles being discovered by Galileo, Newton and Pasteur. Satan used an amateur scientist and atheist named Charles Darwin to advance the false theory of evolution in a parallel attempt to discredit the Word of God by direct and indirect means. However, recent scientific discoveries have shown that God is currently in the process of reasserting His ownership of the true scientific principles.
All true political principles also belong to God. In the Noahic covenant, God established human government based on His true principles. According to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 11:25-27 (KJB), God has always tended to reveal and preserve His Word through the efforts of common people. The common people are those who have no special talents, such as fishermen and farmers. This does not mean that God cannot save and use an intellectual person. God certainly saved and used the Apostle Paul who possessed one of the greatest intellects in the history of the world. But this tendency of God to use the common people accounts for the fact that the pure Word of God was preserved and delivered to us through the efforts of the common Christians in Antioch and not through the learned centers in Alexandria. These facts may also explain why governments throughout history which have been controlled by all the people have by far been the most successful.
Satan knows all this. These facts account for why at about the same time that he began his textual and scientific attacks against the Word of God, he also began to advance an attack against the political beliefs of the common people, such as the yearning for freedom that lies within the hearts of most people. Satan used the atheist Karl Marx to spread false political ideas to the common people in an attempt to discredit the Word of God in their minds. Communism and Nazism employed direct and cruel methods to impose these false ideas on the common people forcefully. The socialists and liberals use the far more subtle method of simply bribing the people into following their false ideas. But God created and owns the true political principles, and someday when Jesus comes to rule the earth, He will use these true principles.
No doubt, Satan thought that he was on the verge of winning the war for the control of the human race when he started the false religion of Roman Catholicism in about the third century. This false religion enjoyed great religious and political power over the minds of many people for many centuries, but its false Vulgate never replaced the true latin vulgate used by the common people. Then, God raised up great men of the Reformation to counterattack this false religion and preserve His true Word in the King James Bible.
Satan has very cleverly used infiltration to try to corrupt God's science, His politics, His Church and even His Word, but God will defeat all of Satan's evil efforts. Indeed, God has already defeated Satan through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son. John 12:31-32 (KJB).
The last remaining question has to be: What constitutes the essence of this evil conspiracy? The answer can be found in Proverbs 6:16-17 (KJB). That sin that caused Lucifer to rebel against God, that sin that caused Satan to deceive Eve into disobeying God, that sin that has inspired evil men throughout history to try to destroy the Word of God and all true principles that are connected to it, that false system of ideas that has so powerfully gripped the minds of angels and men is called pride. Just as the "born again" experience is a true conversion to the truth of God's Word, so pride seems to be a subtle and powerful conversion to the falsity of all that is unholy. Only by the guidance of the Spirit can the Bible be fully understood.
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