Vicious Circles: On the Mathematics of Non-Wellfounded Phenomena

by Jon Barwise, Lawrence S. Moss

Many assume that circular phenomena and mathematical rigour are irreconcilable. Barwise and Moss have undertaken to prove this assumption false. Vicious Circles is intended for use by researchers who use hypersets, although the book is accessible to people with widely differing backgrounds and interests.

Genres: Philosophy, Mathematics, Logic

390 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Lexi Pasi]

Admittedly, I haven't yet read this book cover-to-cover and don't even own my own copy, as I was merely borrowing the copy from the MSRI library during a brief visit there. But wow, what a book! This work strikes a great balance between speculation and formalization, and shines a light on perspectives on self-reference in philosophy, computer science, linguistics, and other areas. It's surprisingly accessible for the level of rigor it achieves, and while some familiarity with set-theory is a helpful pre-requisite, I imagine that non-mathematicians might also be able to enjoy this book with a bit of patience and some willingness to cross-reference unfamiliar topics.

[Axel Barceló]

I cannot believe I was lucky enough to attend Moss and Barwise's classes while they were preparing this awesome classic