Hello
everyone, my name is Vincenzo Dimonte and I am a researcher in Set Theory (as
long as the contract holds, so not for very long). In other words, I spend my
time writing applications for grants, project proposals, CV and so on, and in
the spare time I do some research in Set Theory. “But come on!” I hear you
blurt. “What there is to research in sets?
Aren’t they just colored potatoes?”
Above: Set Theory?
Well, that
is the starting point, just like learning to write the letter A is the starting
point for literature.
A a B b C c D d E e
Above: Literature?
Set Theory
grew very much from its roots, and now it is one of the most complex and
difficult fields of Mathematics, capable of giving headaches even to the most
skilled mathematician. And I work on that! Amazing.
Where does
the difficulty come out? Infinity. As long as the sets are finite, things are
pretty much what we expect (not trivial, though, it is incredible the amount of
work we can do with finite sets), but when infinities come into play, then all
the world as we know goes upside down.
Anyway, as
humanity has been fascinated by infinity since the dawn of time, it happens
that Set Theory creeps in popular medias: books, movies, etc. But is it done
correctly? How are writers dealing with such a difficult topic? This is why
this blog exists: it is a collection of instances of Set Theory in pop culture,
with comments on whether the quotation has been done surprisingly well, or
disastrously wrong.
I suspect I
will update sparsely: I will just post anytime I find something. So, if you are
reading/watching/hearing something about infinity and you wonder if it is
correct, comment here, or contact me! I will solve your doubt.
One last
thing: the title of the blog. The impulse for its creation comes from the
belief that there is no contest between science and humanities, both concur in
the progress of mankind, and yet both have a lot to learn from each other. This
is a very metamodernist concept, and for that reason the title of the blog is a
variation of “Kafka on the Shore”, the
book from the most metamodernist author I know, Haruki Murakami. Also, I
enjoyed the view of Cantor, the founder of Set Theory, chilling on the shore
with a daiquiri in his hand, and solving doubts in his spare time.
What did Cantor wear on summer? Now I wonder.
ReplyDeleteI like the analogy of ABC and literature with Venn diagrams and Set Theory. I will use it against "haters" ;)
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