[MD] For Bo

[Ron Kulp]

SA, these quotes just about sum it up:




"A much-abused result in mathematical logic supposed by many authors who don't understand it to support their own favored brand of rubbish, and even subjected to surprisingly rough handling by some who really should know better." 


"There are two very common but fallacious conclusions people make from this, and an immense number of uncommon but equally fallacious errors I shan't bother with. The first is that Gödel's theorem imposes some of profound limitation on knowledge, science, mathematics. Now, as to science, this ignores in the first place that Gödel's theorem applies to deduction from axioms, a useful and important sort of reasoning, but one so far from being our only source of knowledge it's not even funny. It's not even a very common mode of reasoning in the sciences, though there are axiomatic formulations of some parts of physics. Even within this comparatively small circle, we have at most established that there are some propositions about numbers which we can't prove formally." 

"It also makes a fine piece of general mathematical culture; but it doesn't shake the foundations of the house of intellect, or exalt us above all else that greps.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grep