How could the set oif natural numbers not be finite

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the relationship between brain activity and the concept of natural numbers. It posits that if brain activity, arising from finite configurations of neurons and connections, is responsible for the creation of natural numbers, then the set of natural numbers must also be finite. This challenges the traditional view of natural numbers as infinite, often conceptualized in a Platonic sense. The argument hinges on the idea that each mathematical thought corresponds to a unique brain state, suggesting a limit to what can be conceived. However, this raises questions about the nature of physics and spacetime, particularly whether they are truly continuous. Participants in the discussion also request peer-reviewed studies to support the claim that the configurations of neurons are finite, and they challenge the implications of finiteness by drawing analogies with radio frequencies and the nature of messages transmitted. The counterargument asserts that if natural numbers were finite, it would lead to contradictions, such as the existence of a largest natural number, which cannot hold true.
tautological
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The set of all possible streams of brain activity arising from all possible configurations of all possible neurons with all possible connections is finite, so if you accept that natural numbers are a creation of the human mind (brain), then don't you have to accept that the set of number is finite? When they start counting, mathematicians generally imagine the natural numbers as a platonic universe where objects are extended infinitely, but if thoughts about numbers are created by brain activity, and brain activity is finite, then every possible natural number and mathematical object imaginable from every direction with every one of thousands of subtle conscious factors is associated with a unique brain state, which is part of a larger finite set...unless we are wrong about physics and spacetime is truly continuous?
 
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tautological said:
The set of all possible streams of brain activity arising from all possible configurations of all possible neurons with all possible connections is finite, so if you accept that natural numbers are a creation of the human mind (brain), then don't you have to accept that the set of number is finite? When they start counting, mathematicians generally imagine the natural numbers as a platonic universe where objects are extended infinitely, but if thoughts about numbers are created by brain activity, and brain activity is finite, then every possible natural number and mathematical object imaginable from every direction with every one of thousands of subtle conscious factors is associated with a unique brain state, which is part of a larger finite set...unless we are wrong about physics and spacetime is truly continuous?
Post the peer reviewed scientific studies that say "all possible configurations of all possible neurons with all possible connections is finite". Once you furnish that, we can consider the rest of your post.
 
Physically, the number of frequencies, the amplitude of those frequencies, etc of a radio is finite. So, by the same implication, does that mean the number of messages I could send out on the radio must be finite?
 
If the set of natural numbers is finite, then there is a largest one, call it n. Then n + 1 is not a natural number. But n + 1 is a natural number. Therefore, the set of natural numbers is not finite.
 
Killed it
 

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