By H J Pirner
Springer
This essay is the result of interdisciplinary research pursued by the author, a theoretical physicist, on the concept of the indefinite and its expression in different fields of human knowledge. Examples are taken from the natural sciences, mathematics, economics, neurophysiology, history, ecology and philosophy.
Physics and mathematics often deal with the indefinite, but they try to reduce it, to reach a theory that would be able to explain everything or to allow reliable predictions. Indefiniteness is strictly connected to uncertainty, which is a component of many analyses of complex processes, so the concept of the indefinite can also be found in economics and risk assessments.
The author explains how uncertainty is present in the humanities. For example, historians might have to work on just a few indeterminate sources and connect the dots to reconstruct a story. Uncertainty is also inherent to our memory – we tend to forget, and lose and confuse details. Psychologists understand that forgetting permits new ideas to form, while strong memories would prevent them from emerging.
The book shows how uncertainty and indefiniteness define the border of our understanding and, at the same time, are engines for research and for continuous attempts to push back that limit.
The first part focuses on information and how it helps to reduce indefiniteness. New elements must be combined with existing parts to be integrated in the knowledge system, so that maximum profit can be taken from the new information. The author tries to quantify the value of information on the basis of its ability to reduce uncertainty.
The second part of the book presents a number of methods that can be used to handle indefiniteness, which come from fuzzy logic, decision theory, hermeneutics, and semiotics. An interdisciplinary approach is promoted because it enables bridges to be built between the different fields among which our knowledge is dispersed.
