Paradox and Infinity

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Paradox and Infinity
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Course Details

Cost

FREE

Upcoming Schedule

  • On demand

Course Provider

edX online courses
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Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Berkeley, are just some of the schools that you have at your fingertips with edX. Through massive open online courses (MOOCs) from the world's best universities, you can develop your knowledge in literature, math, history, food and nutrition, and more. These online classes are taught by highly-regarded experts in the field. If you take a class on computer science through Harvard, you may be taught by David J. Malan, a senior lecturer on computer science at Harvard University for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. But there's not just one professor - you have access to the entire teaching staff, allowing you to receive feedback on assignments straight from the experts. Pursue a Verified Certificate to document your achievements and use your coursework for job and school applications, promotions, and more. EdX also works with top universities to conduct research, allowing them to learn more about learning. Using their findings, edX is able to provide students with the best and most effective courses, constantly enhancing the student experience.

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24046 reviews

Course Description

In Paradox and Infinity we will study a cluster of puzzles, paradoxes and intellectual wonders, and discuss their philosophical implications.

The class is divided into three modules:

  • Time Travel and Free Will: Learn about whether time travel is logically possible, and whether it is compatible with free will.
  • Infinity: Learn about how some infinities are bigger than others, and explore the mind-boggling hierarchy of bigger and bigger infinities.
  • Computability and Gödel’s Theorem: Learn about how some mathematical functions are so complex, that no computer could possibly compute them. Use this result to prove Gödel’s famous Incompleteness Theorem.

Bonus: If you sign up to pursue a Verified Certificate for this class, you will be assigned problems that are graded by teaching assistants, and given professional written feedback. This will bring your learning experience one level closer to that of residenti...

In Paradox and Infinity we will study a cluster of puzzles, paradoxes and intellectual wonders, and discuss their philosophical implications.

The class is divided into three modules:

  • Time Travel and Free Will: Learn about whether time travel is logically possible, and whether it is compatible with free will.
  • Infinity: Learn about how some infinities are bigger than others, and explore the mind-boggling hierarchy of bigger and bigger infinities.
  • Computability and Gödel’s Theorem: Learn about how some mathematical functions are so complex, that no computer could possibly compute them. Use this result to prove Gödel’s famous Incompleteness Theorem.

Bonus: If you sign up to pursue a Verified Certificate for this class, you will be assigned problems that are graded by teaching assistants, and given professional written feedback. This will bring your learning experience one level closer to that of residential students at MIT. If you pass the class, you will receive an MITx certificate, in addition to edX's Verified Certificate of Achievement.
Reviews 10/10 stars
9 Reviews for Paradox and Infinity

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Rankings are based on a provider's overall CourseTalk score, which takes into account both average rating and number of ratings. Stars round to the nearest half.

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10/10 starsDropped
4 years, 9 months ago
The course was very interesting, but it had difficulties also. I would like to ask if there will be a new version, because I want to retake it in order to pass it, as in the first release I failed for just 1-2%.
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Quang Nguyen profile image
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Quang Nguyen

10/10 starsTaking Now
4 years, 10 months ago
A very fascinating and challenging course! Parts of it contained certain probability and statistics concepts so I think it is also very useful for people from quantitative fields like me (I am an engineer) Man, I wish I can talk to the professor!
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Eduardo Quiroz profile image
Eduardo Quiroz profile image

Eduardo Quiroz

10/10 starsCompleted
5 years ago
Hi. It's me again!!! Just to say that of all the probabilities in the world I just can't explain how I managed to find the very most Agustin Rayo in my hometown in Pachuca, Mexico. Too bad I can't upload the photo I took.
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Zaz Brown profile image
Zaz Brown profile image

Zaz Brown

10/10 starsCompleted
5 years, 1 month ago
This is a very interesting course. However, most of this course is MATHEMATICS in some form (set-theory, logic, computability), so don't enroll if you don't like numbers.
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Fiona McLary profile image
Fiona McLary profile image

Fiona McLary

10/10 starsCompleted
5 years, 2 months ago
I went into Paradox and Infinity with only a little philosophy and math no higher than the first year of high-school algebra, so I knew it was going to be a huge challenge for me. But the subject is just so fascinating, the material is great, and Augustin Rayo's enthusiasm is absolutely amazing and so engaging for even the toughest parts. I felt very supported by the teaching team (Damien was racing around the forum pretty much every day to answer people's questions!) and the other students. We built a great community that had frequent debates, but were almost exclusively kind and respectful. I have learned a vast amount this summer, especially for a beginner in every sense of the word! This was also my first edX course, and I found the layout quiet navigable. I highly recommend Paradox and Infinity and I shall miss it.
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Eduardo Quiroz profile image
Eduardo Quiroz profile image

Eduardo Quiroz

8/10 starsCompleted
5 years, 2 months ago
It´s a good course. Agustin´s passion to lead it it´s remarcable. He invites you to keep trying. It´s difficult, so you have to make sure you have good basis on math and logical thinking, cause otherwise it´ll be too hard to keep track all over it.
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Dominik Krasula profile image
Dominik Krasula profile image

Dominik Krasula

10/10 starsCompleted
5 years, 2 months ago
Really amazing course. Maybe not the most usefull, but surely the most interesting and the most entertaining MOOC I've ever taken. It shows so many problems in very deep way. Rayo is really amazing, he really knows how to teach his subject. And what I really liked is that in course you have acces to full footage of real Rayo's lectures on MIT. So it gives you not "only" entertainment and knowledgy about subject, but it also shows how lecture and MIT looks (wich is especially someone like me, who is only high school student and who is in country, where university lectures looks very differenc, very interesting experience).
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Muhammad Dhahir profile image
Muhammad Dhahir profile image
10/10 starsTaking Now
  • 1 review
  • 0 completed
5 years, 2 months ago
This course is really an amazing but a technical one, though has been facilitated by an amazing philosopher, Agustin. The course has helped me in broadening the schemes of my mind in terms of understanding some paradoxes in our both conceptual and physical world. The paradoxes available in the course urge me to be puzzled about even what seems obvious. I enjoy reading the materials like having a very tasteful meal which my mom makes. And the most interesting to me one is Yablo's paradox (The liar paradox) which looks nearly similar to Russell's paradox but in a different way about "Set theory".
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Jacob Regan profile image
Jacob Regan profile image
10/10 starsTaking Now
  • 1 review
  • 0 completed
5 years, 3 months ago
Paradox and Infinity is an amazing course. It's my favorite edX course so far, and the knowledge I've gained from it has been amazing. Before enrolling in this class, I had a basic understanding of Discrete Mathematics, the subject that attracted me to this course. In the 7 weeks since, I've learned so much about Set Theory, Infinities, Paradoxes, Probability, Decision Theory, and Time Travel. Even better, I still have a lot more to learn before I finish this course. Professor Rayo does an amazing job teaching and explaining this subject, and the material itself is incredibly interesting. I do not understand every topic in this course when I first see it. Before I began, I knew only the basics of Set Theory and other mathematical subjects that are covered and used in this course. Since then, I've been inspired to seek out the information I need so that I will understand the amazing material in this course. Paradox and Infini... Paradox and Infinity is an amazing course. It's my favorite edX course so far, and the knowledge I've gained from it has been amazing. Before enrolling in this class, I had a basic understanding of Discrete Mathematics, the subject that attracted me to this course. In the 7 weeks since, I've learned so much about Set Theory, Infinities, Paradoxes, Probability, Decision Theory, and Time Travel. Even better, I still have a lot more to learn before I finish this course. Professor Rayo does an amazing job teaching and explaining this subject, and the material itself is incredibly interesting. I do not understand every topic in this course when I first see it. Before I began, I knew only the basics of Set Theory and other mathematical subjects that are covered and used in this course. Since then, I've been inspired to seek out the information I need so that I will understand the amazing material in this course. Paradox and Infinity can be a difficult course, but I believe it's definitely worth it.
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Rating Details

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Rankings are based on a provider's overall CourseTalk score, which takes into account both average rating and number of ratings. Stars round to the nearest half.

See more details on edX