"Kurt Godel" via Arithmeum Museum in Bonn The great 20th century mathematician Kurt Gödel also wrote a trifling little proof that God exists.
My recent Decoded Science article, "How Modal Logic Proved Godel was Right, and God Exists", introduces the logic Gödel used and how computers verified the validity of his proof.
I've also publicized this article in my DeHaan Services blog's "From Kurt Godel to God via Modal Logic". It puts a Canadian spin on the topic. It also recommends a couple of books: one about Gödel's life and work; the other that explains his famous Incompleteness Theorem in a whimsical manner.
My recent Decoded Science article, "How Modal Logic Proved Godel was Right, and God Exists", introduces the logic Gödel used and how computers verified the validity of his proof.
I've also publicized this article in my DeHaan Services blog's "From Kurt Godel to God via Modal Logic". It puts a Canadian spin on the topic. It also recommends a couple of books: one about Gödel's life and work; the other that explains his famous Incompleteness Theorem in a whimsical manner.
One Niche Writing Tip
My Decoded Science article began as a challenge from my editor: could I write it overnight? The news media had learned about the proof of Gödel's God theorem, and my editor wanted us in the mix.
My first estimate was that it would take all night for me to touch on all the elements of Gödel's proof:
That only took half a night; much better than estimated, and much more likely that someone would read.
So today's writing tip is to select a niche within one article, when the overall topic is far too large. You're better off covering one thing well, than spreading yourself too thin.
My bonus writing tip is that you will do better writing a series of articles about that topic, with each article filling a specific niche. With regard to Gödel's God theorem, I could still research and write about the computer programs. In fact, each program (such as "Sledgehammer") could be the foundation for a few articles that explain how and why its approach is important and unique for computer-generated theorem verification.
Thanks for reading about Gödel's new niche, the God theorem.
My first estimate was that it would take all night for me to touch on all the elements of Gödel's proof:
- What did Gödel write?
- How was his proof verified?
- What computer programs were used? What were their niche functions?
- What is this "modal logic" that was so important to both his writing and for the verification?
That only took half a night; much better than estimated, and much more likely that someone would read.
So today's writing tip is to select a niche within one article, when the overall topic is far too large. You're better off covering one thing well, than spreading yourself too thin.
My bonus writing tip is that you will do better writing a series of articles about that topic, with each article filling a specific niche. With regard to Gödel's God theorem, I could still research and write about the computer programs. In fact, each program (such as "Sledgehammer") could be the foundation for a few articles that explain how and why its approach is important and unique for computer-generated theorem verification.
Thanks for reading about Gödel's new niche, the God theorem.
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