Benedum Distinguished Scholar Award Lecture
West Virginia University
Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at 4pm
in Rhododendron Room in the Mountainlair
Professor Krzysztof Chris Ciesielski
West Virginia University
Paradoxes in Mathematics and the Meaning of Truth
The talk will be designed for a general audience.
Students and non-specialists are strongly encouraged to
participate.
Abstract
Several paradoxes and paradoxical theorems will be discussed
and used to explain why axiomatic theories
are the most trustworthy tool for developing theories.
This will be also used to argue that
all scientific theories, and their consequences are
only conditionally true, so that there is no way
to scientifically deduce any absolute truth
(i.e., such that no faith is necessary to accept it).
The information on the future (and past) Colloquia can be also found on web at the
address:
http://www.math.wvu.edu/homepages/kcies/colloquium.html