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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    The cosmos is spatially unbounded (and thus infinite). — Carmelics
    Statements
    321,452
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    108,905
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    Home/Modality & Possibility
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    The cosmos is spatially unbounded (and thus infinite).

    Modality & PossibilityTruth & Knowledge
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.If the cosmos is bounded, then one could extend one's hand or a stick beyond its boundary.
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    • 2.Beyond that boundary, one would find either empty space or matter.
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    • 3.Either empty space or matter beyond the boundary would itself be part of the world.
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.A finite space can be unbounded (without an edge) if it has non-Euclidean positive curvature, as in Riemannian geometry.
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    • 2.The argument's premise that a boundary entails something 'beyond' presupposes Euclidean space, which is not a logical necessity.
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    • 3.Therefore, the inference from 'no boundary' to 'spatially infinite' is invalid; finite yet boundless cosmologies are coherent.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Aristotle argued that 'beyond the cosmos' is a category error: place and extension are defined only relative to existing matter.
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    • 2.If spatial relations are constituted by the distribution of matter, then no coherent spatial 'beyond' exists for a hand or stick to occupy.
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    • 3.The thought experiment thus smuggles in absolute Newtonian space, a metaphysical assumption that is itself contested.
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    Related

    A finite space can be unbounded (without an edge) if it has non-Euclidean positi...Aristotle argued that 'beyond the cosmos' is a category error: place and extensi...Beyond that boundary, one would find either empty space or matter.But if that region is part of the world, the cosmos cannot have been bounded at ...
    +7 moreShow less
    Either empty space or matter beyond the boundary would itself be part of the wor...If spatial relations are constituted by the distribution of matter, then no cohe...If the cosmos is bounded, then one could extend one's hand or a stick beyond its...The argument's premise that a boundary entails something 'beyond' presupposes Eu...The thought experiment thus smuggles in absolute Newtonian space, a metaphysical...Therefore, the cosmos cannot be bounded.Therefore, the inference from 'no boundary' to 'spatially infinite' is invalid; ...

    Similar

    Therefore, the cosmos cannot be bounded.85%The unboundedness of space is an empirical certainty, but infinite ext...82%The universe can be finite and unbounded at the same time, refuting th...82%Therefore the world (the totality of things and events in space and ti...80%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: infinity
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    The infinite has been of central concern to Western thought since the very first pre-Socratic fragment. It concerned the philosopher Anaximander (who flourished in the 6th century BCE), who identified the principle and origin of existing things as to apeiron. In Anaximander, the principle has both an ontological and an ethical significance. The Pythagoreans (6th century BCE) saw the infinite negatively and emphasized the lack of definiteness associated with it; they also gave it spatial connotat
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit