back to ideas for this text


Single Idea 9638

[from 'Philosophy of Mathematics' by James Robert Brown, in 5. Theory of Logic / L. Paradox / 4. Paradoxes in Logic / c. Berry's paradox ]

Full Idea

Berry's Paradox refers to 'the least integer not namable in fewer than nineteen syllables' - a paradox because it has just been named in eighteen syllables.

Gist of Idea

Berry's Paradox finds a contradiction in the naming of huge numbers

Source

James Robert Brown (Philosophy of Mathematics [1999], Ch. 5)

Book Reference

Brown,James Robert: 'Philosophy of Mathematics' [Routledge 2002], p.71


A Reaction

Apparently George Boolos used this quirky idea as a basis for a new and more streamlined proof of Gödel's Theorem. Don't tell me you don't find that impressive.