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fromKant3sviewinadirectionthatadmitstheevolutionofwhatKantcalled
reason.ButonecantakeastepinadirectionthatascribestoreasoninKant3s
senseinvariabilityandabsoluteinfallibility.Theinvariabilityofmathematical
truthsseemstojustifythisview.Manythinkers,suchasthePythagoreans,
Parmenides,Plato(thekeyrepresentativeofthisviewpoint),St.Augustine,
andamongmorerecentfigures,BolzanoandCantor,areinclinedtoacceptit.
FortheGreeks,thenotionofcontinuumemergedfromthephilosophyof
nature,thatis,contemporaryphysics.Attemptsofitsmathematizationfailed.
ThefamousaporiaofZenoofEleaparalyzedtheseattempts.Suchfailedat-
temptsarefoundintheworksofAristotle,whichincludeanaccentofhis
ownview.Aristotleconcentratedthekeydifficultyinthequestionwhetherthe
continuumcanbeviewedasmadeupofpoints.
Anaffirmativeanswerleadstodifficulties.Aristotlewassufficientlyopen
mindedtoadmitthatitalsoleadstoalogicalcontradiction.Butthenegative
answerdeprivesusofmethods.
Attemptsweremadetogetaroundthesedifficultiesbyerectingcertain
thoughtbarriers.TheconstructionofEuclid3sElementsrulesoutthepossibility
ofstatingZeno3saporiasinthelanguageusedthere.
WeknowmoreofthecontinuumthantheGreeks,buttheareaofigno-
rancehasnotdecreased.Everynowandagaindiscoveriesaremade.Theyare
undoubtedlyimportantbutareunnecessarilyadvertisedasepochal,discoveries
thatclaimtohavesolvedtheproblem.
Wewilltrytoshowthatthisviewisfalse.Wewillgiveahistoricalaccount
oftheproblemandshowhowphilosophersandmathematicians,bothfamous
andnotveryfamous,losttheywayinthelabyrinthofthecontinuum,what
wastheoutcomeoftheirefforts,andinwhatsensetheirlabors,soseemingly
Sisyphian,wereactuallynot.