] | | | Tee re aaa Ce Sa APOSTOLOS DOXIADIS avn GHRISTOS H. PAPADIMITRIOU ae ae RU a EYU.S. $22.95 A DRAMATIC STORY OF MADNESS AND REASON, LOVE AND WAR his innovative graphic novel is based on the early life of the brilliant philosopher Bertrand Russell and his impassioned pursuit of truth, Haunted by family secrets and unable to quell his youthful curiosity, Russell became obsessed with a Promethean goal: to establish the logical founda- tions of all mathematics. In his agonized search for absolute truth, Russell crosses paths with legendary thinkers like Gottlob Frege, David Hilbert, and kurt Gédel, and finds a passionate student in the great Ludwig Wittgenstein. But the object of his defining quest continues to loom before him. Through love and hate, peace and war, Russell persists in the dogged mission that threatens to claim both his career and his personal happiness, finally driving him to the brink of insanity. Logicomi is at the same time a historical novel and an accessible intraductian to same af the biggest ideas of mathematics and modern philosophy. With rich characterizations and expressive, atmospheric artwork, it spins the pursuit of these ideas into a captivating tale. Probing and ingeniously layered, the book throws light on Russell’s inner struggles while setting them in the content of the timeless questions he spent his life trying to answer. dt its heart, Lagicamix is a story about the conflict between an ideal rationality and the unchanging, flawed fabric of reality.LOGICOMIXLOGICOMIX APOSTOLOS DOXIADIS CHRISTOS H. PAPADIMITRIOU ART ALECOS PAPADATOS COLOR ANNIE DI DONNA BOF O Mas 8 UR NEW YORK + BERLIN + LONDONCopyright @ 2009 by Logicomix Print Ltd. All rightts reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in amy manner whatsoever witnout written permission from the pualisher except in the cose of brief quotations embadled in ertical articles or reviews. For information address Bloomsbury USA, 475 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, Published ly Bloomsbury USA, New York All paper's used by Bloomsbury USA are natural, recyclable products made fram ‘wood groun in well-managed forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental reguations of the country of erigin. LUBRARY CF CONGRESS CATALOGNG-N-PUBLIGATION DATA HAS BEEN APPLE: ISBN-10 1-59671-058 ISBN~15 978-1-59601-452-0 US. Edition 2009 5579408642 Printed and bound in the United States of America by Worzalla Publishing CompanyCONCEPT & STORY Apostolos Doxiadis Christos H. Papadimitriou SCRIPT Apostolos Doxiadis CHARACTER DESIGN & DRAWINGS Alecos Papadatos COLOR Annie Di Donna INKING Dimitris Karatzaferis Thodoris Paraskevas VISUAL RESEARCH & LETTERING Anne BardyTo our children, Eirene, Emma, Isabel, lo, Kimon, Konstantinos, Tatiana, Yorgos Yues 6’ boeoGe roi1@ Kdppoves.OVERTURECHRISTOS IS ‘AND SQ, IN A CERTAN SENSE, AN EXPERT IN MATHEMATICAL Logic! IN FACT, WHEN WE STARTED WORK ON TT, UR FRENDS THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY! YOu SEE, THIS IEN'T YOUR TYPICAL, USUAL LIKE THINKING THE BOOK IS SOMETHING es sh KIND OF TEXTBOOK OR A TREATISE, IN THE UNURELY' GUISE, OF A GRAPHIC7 ; vel, THERE UT THEN, YOU'LL 3 5 BY ae sToRES ASK, WHY AN EXPERT | | JW ano sToRies, REaLLy, IN LOGIC? WHAT'S lg] AND ORS Is RATHER’ UNUSUAL IN THIS SENSE: ITS HEROES ARE ALL LOGICIANS! @__NOW, WHEN WE JO startep Our, We THOUGHT WE'D RELY, SIMPLY, ON MAY OWN RATHER MEAGRE KNOWLEDGE m WE THOUGHT, (7 vou Se, THAT WHAT D LEARNED STUDYING MATHEMATICS, AGES AGO, WAS ENCUCH!BUT ENOUGH SAID_INTHE WAY OF 4 PREAMBLE. LET'S NOW GO, AT LAST, AND MEET \. CHRISTOS! WERE "RECORDING LIVE", As IT WERE. OK? SOAMIE IT'S NOT EVERY pay THAT I'M ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE TO A COMIC BOOK: ON mn THE “QUES FOR THE FOUNDATIONS: OF MATHEMATICS"! BUT TELL ME, MORE! WHAT'S YOUR LINE OF LHOPE YOU ENJOY THE BOOK!THE STORY BEGINS INSEPTEMBER 4339, AND EVEN MORE You'LL SEE WHY! NOW, REMEMBER. =» SEPTEMBER 47, HITLER INVADED POLAND. SO THE 'STUKAS! GUN DOWN THE INFANTRY AND CAVALRY. HE "PANZERS" RAM THROUGH THE DEFENCES,AS RESISTANCE CRUVBLES BEFORE 4 SUPERIOR , NAZI PROPAGANDA TRIES TO TURN THE. POLISH PEOPLE AGAINST THEIR NATURAL ALLY. Ln _ THE TASK IS MADE EASIER 8Y THE UNTED KINGDOM'S: HAVING SIGNED THE "MUNICH PACT" OF NON-AGGRESSION WITH HITLER. m THREE DAYS AFTER THE INVASION, BERTRAND RUSSELL, THEN MORE. WIDELY KNOWN AS A PUBLIC THINKER, IS SCHEDULED TO GIVE A TALK AT AN AMERICAN UNVERSITY ON THE "ROLE OF LOGIC IN HUMAN AFFAIRS’ — =| AND IT'S ON THAT DAY THAT OUR STORY BEGINS... ——_ FOR ON THAT DAY, THE UNITED KINGDOM DECLARED WAR CN CERMANY.ANUNBER OF AMERICANS, THE SO-CALLED "ISOLATIONSTS', MOBILIZED TO. WARN AGANST. THE POSSIBILITY oF Us. INVOLVEMENT IN A EUROPEAN WAR. OH | KNOW WHAT THE "ISOLATIONIST" WERE! BUT WHAT ARE THEY DoINa IN THE "QUEST"? THERE'LL BE ALOT TO SAY OF RUSSELL'S REACTION TO THE NEW SITUATION IN WHAT FOU BUT BEFORE THAT, WE TAKE ALCOK AT ANOTHER REACTION! |] MEMBERS TO NAZ\ SYMPATHIZERS, FROM IDEALIST PACIFISTS TO COMMON CITIZENS, NATURALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF A MATOR WAR. WAIT! NOW 45 RUSSELL ARRIVES AT THE UNIVERSITY...DENTARES AWAIT TO GREET Hi, WE HAVE 2 Aw Eee SUGHT Rou THE NEW PROBLEM. INTeRNaToWAL. DEVELOPMENTS on HAVE CREATED SOME ReACTions! A GROUP OF "ISCLATIONSTS" IS PCRETING THE ENTRANCE TO THE BUILDING WHERE HE WILL BE GNING His TALKY e 2 | THEY HAVE AVERY [| SPECric REGUEST OF THE SPEAKER,STAY HERE WITH uc! Join! due PRoTest! NOW, THERE IS A VERY GOO? REASON THE "ISOLATIONSTS" ARE MAKING. THIS DEMAND PARTICULARLY OF BERTRAND RLSSELL! KNOW: Wo. AREA RUSSELL WAS i FAMOUS FOR HIS Man OF REASON ere EVEN PRoFEs sor! » ACTIVISM! GONG TO TAL $ TAKE aug, sige! OPT cs v | FOR ITE BUT IN THE FIRST ViORLD WAR! ssl DON'T You No! WS CHAPS COME INSIDE \ @ AND UsteN To ie PLACE IS My LecTuRE? wt HERE, wit us 0sur Wik Be SPEAKING ABOUT... REASON, IW FS HIGHEST FORM: LOGIC! A ea INTRODUCTION TO # cHaT ABOUT THE WARE $0? DO THE We DIDN'T, COME HERETO HEAR TALKS... OR SCHAT*L THIS SA, TIME FOR ACTION COULDN'T MSS THE CHANCE TOA THEIR VIEWS, WITH SUCH A STAR PACIFIST PRESDING!HOW COULD | NOT? IT'S WHERE, | GREW UP. DO YOU EVER Miss, ATHENS? THOUGH WHERE | L/VE |S NO HELL-HOLE EITHER!BY THE SO, WE'VE ONLY GOT WHICH, \ WAY WHEN ARE “TOpay TO TAKE YoU QUTE FRANKLY, YOU FLYING BACK, THROUGH THE FIRST 1S THE CRAZIEST TO BERKELEY? PART OF THE THING, "VE ENER HEARD! |LgERSTAND YOUR Pueson FoR Fe THE "QUEST". BUT WHY New DONALD DUCK TO BERTRAND RUSSELL, VIA SUPERMAN! FORMIS PERFECT FOR STORIES OF HEROES IN SEARCH OF GREAT GOALS! THE "QUEST" ARE FASCINATING PEOPLE, PASSIONATE... ww TORTURED. IN FACT, TRUE. SUPERHEROES!WELL TO START WITH RUSSELL: NOW, NU KI THE "FOUNDATIONAL ef QUEST" IS ESPECIALLY #} © FASCINATING TO ME, FOR MY YB WORK. MOST OF THE GREAT Jz{ IDEAS IN MY FIELD HAVE E THEIR SEED IN THERE THEIR IDEAS INTEREST US ONLY TO SPRING FROM THEIR PASSIONS. dey THE WAY, | READ GIAN=CARLO ROTA'S ARTICLE YOU SENT, ON THE CURIOUSLY HICH RATE. OF PSYCHOSIS IN THE LINES OF Waar ALTERNATIVE? “THEY BECAME LOGICIANS FROM MADNESS?" THE TRUTH, IF YOU REPHRASE ESPECIALLY SINCE, CONTRARY To POPULAR LEGEND, HOST OTHER MATHEMATICIANS SUCH A Hick RATE OF MADNESS AWONG LOGICIANS, PARTICULARLY? MIND YOU. J THING THE CLICHE "THEY WENT MAD FROM TOO MUCH LOGIC" WON'T HOLDWHERE ARE WE? NEVER COME THS WAY BEFORE * Apesielos) deg is not naued after Taparese conics. “Monga is a slang word in Greek, wearing something tke "cool dude" ( US.) or "Jack-the-lad"C ux. ).IHOPE YOU'LL LIKE, OUR PROTECT. IM ANNE. BEING, THE RESEARCHER (MALL FOR HELP. # Anwie is French. Arourene S Peete nt $4” 5 barnes ee: OUR "LOGICAL SV -({ EXPERT" Is HERE oy (AT LAST! iN h, a S60, BERTRAND RUSSELL ARRNES AT THS UNIVERSITY, TO GIVE HIS LECTURE, AND — TYVE ALREADY NY TOLP CHRISTOS OF THE PROTESTERS! ‘AH, OK! $0, AFTER SOME HAGCILING, THE "ISOLATIONIST" ] FLOCK INTHE HALL, TO HEAR THE TALK. aig emt) IN THAT CASE, PLEASE, EMPLCY YOUR IMAGINATION TO GIVE CUR DRAWINGS COLOUR! PROFESSOR BERTRAND RUSSEL .| was a yourg child, and thus by no wears \eta logician, when larried of "Pesbroke, Lodge This was the howe, of wy paternal Grand other, Lord John Russell,My Granelfather Was an inportout ian. In Fact he hael been Prime Mivister of Great Britai on the rules Bovern way PROPERLY i BRUSHED»eu must Krow this: Leaic oll about rvies. | begins with defini b\) and continues with rues. PLACE WHE GOTO SLEEP. And in this sense — and this abne — \ think thet | an ay Grandmother's disciple. a sense, her wrost devoted , the sense of. profound dlescltion [felt as darkness fell on that First dlanew abode, ing of the. oul d witha vestexcuse me, Lord Russell. ‘Als, yes! Thai, Vy father vaentoned your ANS ( of course, was the greniest Ef hod +ald we that patel i wuystery of ail! wy wether had gene ona “very Jong +r $0, after he-teo disoppeared, | assured had gone to join her! But let we rebum tothe shaatly experance of that first night at the LodgenThis wos wy first taste of the problematic nature of Knowledge: Why was everyone denying Sonething had 60 clearly Was the howl hallucination? Could | have. hearal sewvething that lly occurred? Was | wistaken? Or was everyone else? Or were they all lying? But 4 fourth, Much wore, Sirister alternotne SS alse preserted tteelt, an alternative th Filled we with areInthe first few months of my stay at Pembroke Lodge. | drew a plan of the house. | atscovered it recently in a wouldly suitcase... Full of prohibitions and dark secretsn Despite its heavy shore of restrictions, it was only in the. od warsion's garden that acavired wy first, care experiences of freedow. ays souething interesting to do| reweniber in particuior 2 dlay in early spring, a fine day made even finer by one. of Grandwuother's rare tripe to Lorden. #4 HE REMAINS AN ENALISHMAAAN HE-EE REAAAAINS AN E-EEEE.. UNLESS YOu COME OUT, | CAN'T SHOW You Y crust vou \n The taht reins N THERE, Granduother kept we Bo) under hod never given BERTE? ‘ we the. opportunity = for an un-chaperored discussion with %If Ihad any doubts 7 that Knowledge was a dangerous affair, SS] row they were clispelied. your, GRANDMOTHER But actually, a I think the role of the serpent was more appropriatel sTheugh he didn't Hen a> Books Tia octually offer we pre ees i Ei) oxtring, Cirancloa Fen ¢ made an enticirg deserigtion of *he gradations of evil! THEORISTS AND PHILOSOPHERS, INTHE TOP sueLves, ff TO MY RIGHT, ARE, DEFINITELY APPROPRIATELY REPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY! FURTHER, \isiTs! %6 isveT anoT-eR Y CATEGORY, OF TOTALLY FORBIDDEN BOOKS! UP THERE. Many years were to pass until | re-entered the library.You see, a5 | lay owake in tury bed that night, the prospect Of investigating 4 rew world Fowl heal heavel on wy Fist right at Pembroke Lodee..The next ay, | paid! | wy last | respects to | Grandforher. Siting beside, bin, Covidint help thinking that Grandmother's veaction was were anger thon, B cowe, that |} evenings| | | | But no outsider could be : trusted, wearers with wy os ji religious education. “sal THE MIDST OF THE VALLEY wii WAS FULL OF BONES. AND THEY WERE VERY "THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS UPON ME, AND CARED ME OUT, AND SET ‘ME DOWN IN THE MD) MIDST OF ‘THE VALLEY, Boy! WELL, LET US SAY THEY ARE OUT OF HARM'S. WAY.You MEAN me WHERE NO FURTHER HARM, Mysteries which, lacking Krowleclee, nid only address rough Feith. WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME, THYmic dig Natur! Wie gliinzt die Sonne! Die lache die Sluc! Whose beliefs souehow escaped Grandwcther's Stern covtrols! 54twas he who introduced we fo a very eld gentlenan IM GONG TO BY DEMONSTRATE EUCLID'S B PROPOSITION THAT IF TWO ANGLES OF A TRIANGLE. bh ANY TRIANGL! ARE EGUAL, THEN, OF NECESSITY, THE TWO ADJACENT SIDES ARE Now, ASSUME THE PROPOSITION IS NOT TRUE... THEN SDE AB | Ii THERE EXISTS A 'S GREATER THAN 2 PONT D ON SDE 43, SOE AC AND THUS... SUCH THAT ADZAC.4 33 ES ¥ ae & FQ *RBACsety showed we. the: only way ‘souerhing wi certainty! Especially 9s wy new Nothing in wy life was quite the sawe after that First meeting with Euclid. In his works, | found what Thad vainly sought for i Grondwia's fait thus become way Royal Rood to Truth! AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE DERIVES ITS POWER FROM, MATHEMATICS!PLANETS, ALL CAN \ 2e exeLaned BY SCENC!aNith all the bad things awakening, Stall F compare zreto wsumnere dey? Zowart more lovely and more temperate, c Piet ceri toi fe re Aad atnners lv.tr PEMBROKE tS ee RIVERTat sawe day lescaced Grarcuather's tention, =o Follow the route indicated inthe mysterious note. aa NATIONS NOT ses 8 ut N Tse TURNS To TYRANTS FAAALLby ANGELS AND woe WHE THOU gy ALT MINISTERS FLOURISH GREAT AND GRACE FREE THE DRRpD AND BY OF THEM at IT Is my. FAMILY'S VAULT, 5R, 7 Rue, BATA, BeoTANNA Ty) uve THE wAves rr, BRITONS NEEERVER 7S WiLL BE SLAVES nay rv| ran again into 20 "Old faker" a few years later ot the village This old invalid was uy first encounter with tre aul of Wier. von Krew where wy parents ere. But though [hod wo idea row they ended up there “TOTALLY FORBIDDEN BCOKS'! 6 His leas, were left ot Sebostopal, Crimea! AGocD THING 1 SAW GRANDMOTHER, HONG THE KEYS!| cs Russel, E| Her death from | diphtheria, just | apter she. tumed six, sparked-off the chain... aTheir deaths killing wy father, whe hal lost al will to ver The fauily allows vevealecl tne. couse of the. deaths but wat the. tertble crime they hed conuitted to ckserve the wrath of my Grarelincther. 6~Borged into the scene of the crime. WHAT DO YoU THINK YOU ARE RESPECTFULLY GRANDIN, | KNOW WHAT I'M DONG! \'M TRYING TO FIND OUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU KEPT FROM ME! ‘AND THAT'S PRECISELY WHAT | INTEND TO DO! Granduother wos too shockecl to react. orAn hour later Id leaeved, at long /ovag | vay poverts: ferice secret’. Z iS MS Unusual, certainly! But terriBut as | was now ~ ot war with philesophical work: Granductner, an intimate diary! it was in code. Siwply, to Greek, a language This reads: "Most huwans behave irrationally. All tre. wore reason to pursue the stidy of Logic. OF course lam also huwan aud thus 00h no stranger to Fits of nonelegical thinking, But also [ean discern these. tendencies in iyself and thus au wore. able to resist them..." “Greek Exercises’ as my notebook, was called sor reasons of subtecfuse, becowe a haven forall my secret, Forbiclelen thoughts @hada lot fo pub init! ‘THE PARALLEL POSTULATE... po THE FACT THAT THROUGH A POINT OUTSIDE 4 LINE, ONLY ONE PARALLEL To THE LINE PASSES, Se HAVEN'T YET PROVEN THAT! THAT'S BECAUSE. IT IS AN AXIOM BUT YOU SAID IN GEOMETRY WE MUST PROVE EVERYTHING WHAT'S THE VALUE OF A PROOF IF IT RESTS ON THE UN-PROVEN? weuleven ‘ } This wowent ou Euctia warkeda 2 err disoppoirtrent 70One cole! This time | was, determined te get to the ten ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT. 4FOR THEIRS (S THE ‘MOURN, FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED. BLESSED ARE THE... Here then was ay uncle, ty father's brother.was 0c HUNGER and In Fock, wadness diuost tock holed that won Were tt not 7 the, hope. Reason...2.THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICEBut we pecioe> TO CUT HiYES, 02 (D BE is AS FOR THE DRAWING TLL e FEAR OF KINGDOM COME! ‘MADNESS... we WERE IT'S TRUE! HE WRITES Tice TIN “GREER TO Say RUSSELL maTuEmanics? ) | EXERCISES’! WOULD COMMIT , X "| would kill vayself. ¥* "Yes! Auol now, if don't wind, +he story continves..."Ladies ana Gentlemen, please iuagire we 0s ing hall very much like THEREFORE, IF WE CONSIDER o 70 8E INFINITESIMAL... 2S @ member of the audience! TECHNIGLE », This was the first step towards fulfilling way dlreaw of becowing a wothematician.But wey introduction to the "Queen of the Sciences" was a sheer disappointient. BUT, THAT |S CIRCULAR! YOU GAN'T DEFINE A TERM, BY USING IT IN THE DEFINITION! MATHEMATICS 'S THE LAST RECOURSE OF REASON! WE CANNOT UNDERIM WITH SLOPPY THINKING! 80 WHY, OBVIOUSLY, AS" THAT WHICH is INFINITELY SMALL ou? ARE You DISPUTING NEWTON'S INVENTION OF THE CALCULUS? Oe Is DISPUTING EUCLIO'S. INVENTION OF PRESUMPTLOUS fi YOUNG MAN!studying Mathewat peretreté the essence But all |was learring q was cheap colcviating tricks! vay this? for Knowledge. acl not | Ee At Combridee. ctscoverea! nes worlds i | a “THERE ARE NO a PRNCPLES! BAZAROV SAD. ‘1 LME TO DENY! MY BRAIN 1S MADE ON THAT PLAN! helpecl we graclvaly lose wy fear of Granelwother's stern commasAnd the vew drama gave = a tae Keys 4 unlecks dave BEGAN TO Bn FEEL THE MOST gy THT IRON VIOLENT PAINS RING WAS BEING IN JAY HEAD... SCREWED ROUND ae ay THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THE TRUTHH! "THERE IS SOMETHING. WORM-EATEN ABOUT YOU SINCE BIRTH!" THE SINS OF THE FATHERS ARE VISITED UPON THE CHILDREN! GHOSTS! WE ARE ALL GHOSTS: EaHIS MESSAGE IS ANNOYING AND THIS TRUE: "WE ARE TRAVELUNG WITH DEAD WEIGHT ON 30420." FILTH! AN OPEN DRAIN! ABSOLUTELY LOATHSOME! sat wa é EG the lines of Shelley's great ay poen “Alastor” cccompanieel @ journey to on inner, beautecus lane. Inrationality, in ts Wighest form! Te wy enlightened wine, undress was 2 disease of weak spirits, pulling them away from the natural harmony of Reason, a Colao) is a) Vat re Tl Se No) ae LP gelCaN At a Ie Not ml Cor aN Tele) OF MUSK-ROSE TWINED WITH JASMINE... ie Cae Beare ma aon aren Vacca Pane naa Ey ar py Beem Vaio a HN ae A Coe) Pas Gar eon oll gis tur by et 5 low I needed +o get rick of way ow " BEAUTIFUL BIRD, THOU VOYAGEST TO THINE HOME, A ie aa ura eae) Lael ha 4 RT am A No needa ae aC age) OT"EARTH, OCEAN, AIR, BELOVED BROTHERHOOD! MOTHER OF THIS UNFATHOMABLE WORLD! FAVOUR MY SOLEMN SONG, FOR | HAVE LOVED THEE EVER AND THEE ONLY!!!During another excursion, Iran into @ perfect Symbol of Grandwother's faith Until then, churches hadl inspired tn we faor of an all-powerful Being Not +his tine. A raw experience of ecstasy was the best ontidete fo ary lurking fy residue. of fear.In those. years, | was often accompanied by extreue inner tension. mw Woe doubtless woole wore intense by loneliness. My near-wavic passion for certain, absolute. Knowledge. it was then tha Like me, she cawe frou a (wet the wowen stemly religious who was loter to become, wy Which, naturally, alse contained an insane. streak! [Met cur Frerdship at first progressed ‘PROFESSIONAL MATHEMATICIAN"? WHAT pene DOES A PROFESSIONAL MATHEMATICIAN DO? LONa sums?AT CAMBRIDGE, NO ONE TALis' ABOUT THE REAL ISSUES OF MATHEMATICS, LIKE WHAT IS THE NATURE OF MATHEMATICAL TRUTH? F ONLY YOU HOW CRUCIAL KNEW HOW MUCH THEY ARE! DEPENDS Abn PHILOSOPLY ISCLOSER TO MY HEART! 88h not the slightest beginner's luck! BET Even dering ay the" Tripos | TE | tre cireodecl Final exci mn ie ny GosPoM eee ae Ea Y Alys dominated wy thoughts!Though Fortunate! with benefies IAM NOW CONVINCED, YOUR OPINION OF PROFESSOR! THE ROTTEN MATHEMATICS! FOUNDATIONS Wit. GIVE WAY. Now, | covlal afford to speak my wind. THE EDFICE ‘ SONCERNED OF MATHEMATICS aT TS FALL WILL NOL YOU SEE, WILL COLLAPSE! CRUSH YOU TOO? IDON'T PLAN TO 8E INSIDE IT.Having earned 2 Fellowship, Icoulel now \réadl with the. passion of Shelley's “inspired and desperate alchemist’. pursue a new, atemotive Hinerory. , | persisted in iP way siege of Alys's heart. [ _ Aca ge ey 50,How “Naas FARES YOUR ‘b paar Let ys AT LEAST MATHEMATICIANS | | NOT 0 PHILOSOPHERS! MASTER. BERTIENURY NOT TO CONTRADICT] | THEY ARE ALL ‘CREAT (ONE ANOTHER! ww AND ALL IN TOTAL, ALSO DSPLEASED (| Red oicecnye - | DISAGREEMENT!"STUDYING PHILOSOPHY! REALLY MEANS GORGING, YOURSELF ON A STEW OF EVERY IDEA (MAGINABLE! ia WHLE AN ARISTOTELIAN PUTS ALLY HS FAITH INITS OBSERVATION! |. ARE MENTAL CONCEPTS INNATE 0% ACQUIRED? IS THERE AN OPPOSITION BETWEEN MIND AND MATTER?ght we to abher contradiction. 1d turned to Philosophy coking for truth, but algo guidance | THING IBETTER, BE GONG!With wy Friend! Moore, | seught enightenuent at the, Feet of the latest fashionable Hegeion, WELL, HEGEL 1S OBVIGUSLY NOT THE TRANSITION FROM THE CATEGORY OF CONTRADICTION SHOWS THAT THE EXCLUSIVE REFLECTION OF THE STABLE OPPOSITION MAKES ITA NEGATIVE, AND THUS THE REFLECTION DEGRADES ITS PREVIOUS STABLE OF DETERMINATIONS 70 THE LEVEL OF BEING OLY DETERMINATIONS. AND SINCE THE POSITION HAS BEEN MADE POSITION, 'T HAS GONE BACK TO UNITY WITH ITSELF. THEY CALL THS TRASH PHILOSOPHY? | WANT TO FIND MY WAY TO REALITY, WAN! WANT & METHOD TO ACGURE CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE! BOWLER Is READY, SR!SO/AEONE TOGNE IT STRONG FOUNDATIONS AND A LOGICALLY PRECISE LANGUAGE! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT LEIBNIZ, WITH HS icaccuus ME RATIOCINATOR"! Ina haters shop, \founel at lest what Iwas looking for. YES! Away 50 CLEAR THAT WHEN TO MAKE, 4 DISAGREEMENT THINKING ARISES, WE JUST Dy HAVE To 54 BUT FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, LOGIC WOULD HAVE TO BECOME AN EXACT SCIENCE! 5WHAT LEIBNIZ OREAMT OF WITH THE "CALCULUS RATIOCINATOR” GEORGE BOOLE. CONTINUED WITH HiS "LAWS" PERHAPS, YOU'D LIKE TO TRY IT ON, SRP IT'S MATHEMATICS AND MATHEMATICIANS PHILOSOPHY! WHICH WE COMBINE PROPOSITIONS. THROUGH CERTAIN %ere, Moore. BUT LEIBNIZ. trocliced we toa new, 5) i } USED A FORMAL, extraorelinary world. SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE TO SAV THNGS THE GREEKS KNEW ALL wa. AUTOLOGY.." ISN'T THis A LITTLE TOO TECHNICAL? ALL THAT Logic REALLY I5, IS USING b “A TaUTOLOGY COMBINATIONS OF THE KNOWN, TO REACH ADDED TO TTSELF THE UNKNOWN. |S A TAUTOLOGY," TKNOW WaT ATAUTOLOGY IS, THANE You! "ATTAUTOLOGY |S A STATEMENT Wics (S NECESSARILY TRUE By VIRTUE OF ITS LOGICAL a, FORM, AS IN'ALL RED \ ANTS ARE RED’ a\ THING THAT AT THIS POINT YOU SHOULD INTRODUCE IM TALKING To you, OL BOW! THIS |S THE YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND STORY OF Lode, THE PEOPLE WITHOUT DEPENDS ON WHICH THE STORY 1S STORIES, PASSIONS LEAZING THE WAY 8(OK, WHAT DO EXACTLY? YOU TAKE A BIA THING ‘AND, ALRIGHT, LISTEN NOW. TO ARISTOTLE'S DEFINITION NEW BECAUSE YOU LEARN WHAT YOU DON'T KNOI :THE FAMOUS EXAMPLE WHICH EVERY SCHOOL KID /'| "SOCRATES IS AMAN” }) SEE? FROM TWO STATEMENTS ALREADY KNOWN, YOU PRODUCED “AND 80, [7 WAS THIS TYPE OF REASONING THAT LEIBNIZ TURNED INTOA SYMBOLIC SYSTEM.From the clay when | dirst learned of the dream for 2 purely logical Coleviss, |was hooked. = This new fascination coupletely tock over my life Is THE MAN YOU ARE READING Even ina idleal City Reason the ‘Cratioldiy of Eres will creep in. F ve can BOOLE BEING THE MAN WHO HAS: MADE LOGIC AS CLEAR AS ALGEBRA!“CONTRARIWISE, IF IT WAS $0, ‘AND IF IT WERE 80, IT WOULD BE. AS TT ISN'T, IT AIN'T, THAT's Locic” DON'T you REMEMBER =| TWEEDLEDEE'S BUT | DON'T LIKE TWEEDLEDEE. OR TWEEDLEDUM FOR THAT MATTER! SPELLED S a oF COURSE! THAT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU WANT TO GO! THEN (T DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHICH WAY YOU CO!YOU SEE, LOGIC. Is REALLV A TOOL. Wart Have HE DEAL PaaT [Ye05CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, LITTLE aLys! GOT YOU THIS TIME! 108ALRIGHT, IGIVE LOY WHICH WAY DO '1GO NOW? ‘THAT ALL DEPENDS ON WHERE NOU WANT TO G9, $0, if @ path K has value 4 toa certain point and then forks into Y ond Z.. Ne then write, our creice for a correct continuation tals way. “oT The Howton Court woe was ideally suite for iintroclucing Boolean To uavigate if, you have to decide if certain patns hove value 1, weaving "this path leads to the exit. And vetoing value Aif ether Yor Zs 4, or tf cath are. But takes value 0 if both Y and Z ore O!But then I found Alys engoged in another form ef binary investigation. HE LOVES MEw HE LOVES | JUST WANTED MENOT TO ILLUSTRATE THE CONTUNCTIVES i "AND" AND TORT AS A i SERIES OF DECISIONS HELPNG YOUnnsally suprowphs atteragt ata lessen endled with we. as the student Soon after, Ale #0 Peau -RANDMAMHA JPRESENT ASS ALYS SMITH Being vo expert in fenutine! parchokey, \decicled their meetin: was a huge, success. 0And being o vieopryte,, That wast illogical of passions howan beings call “leve” We said it alveacky with Alys | encountered "MARRY" THE SATE WOMAN? POPPYCOCK! SHE'S TOTALLY UNSUITABLE, BERTIE! "Love" HE WHAT UTTER NON BUT | Love, HER, GRANOnAnind, AND HEAR Aas WY INFORMED THERE IS INSANITY IN HER BROOD! So pressing wos wy uge to consummate ul THE FOUNDATIONS! =WHAT ARE YOU DONG? wadle we aware of the sbiity tat the possi BE jourrey hod extbarked | on wos fraught with =| dangers. loneBut lerwe now wove us on to wore Pleosart things! ret ouites Frequent, The year wos 4900. This was ative of change, a tiwe for new beginnings. And nowhere was this J optivisra wore. apparent, mr) Here, converged! the visio of the, Etffel Tower was a pertect syubel what was best the ne tools with which to veolze ancl 2AThe visitors to the Extibition were like. chilean, excited with thetoys of @ brave. new worldi Pa MONSIEUR LE PROFESSEUR HERMITE wu AND LAST BUT NOT INKC ti HERR PROFESSOR MI LR ‘OWSKI... J LEAST, HERR PROFESSOR te MY WIFEL id iis KLEIN CREATED A NEW GEOMETRY, DEDEKIND A—Not alll encounters in Faris were wothenaticall But |was t20 excited by nen icleas +0 pay sevious attention tenew exctions. And there icleos: new view wer i i eae eh i ateee! Salle 1 ees, thot would give S ipa pe, tage Dict cec Sng (Se OMettiC Elliptine . foundations. Salle 13 Rez-de-chausi: ‘Géométrie Hyperbaiae oP Galle Sc 1 cae a a m q cooler mine jétrie Prot wauldl be played oy the | salle 3 Theory of Sete. thodls, There Was evern ‘On winose volue the Congress's two grectest stars vehemently disagrees! wos ne shortage of new theories, nen fechriqves, AIRE GANTOR one shall expe! Her Cantor has cre: us from the Paradise aied for us! a Devel Hibert, ne |< Bl less great, the Genuan apostie | of the vigorous | exocress ot {f logical proof.But what exactly were ‘sets"? What was this new fashion, this wathematicsn, Frona the tue of the Greeks, uatrevaticions had looked af incvcval cbjects, such 25m jan storted locking . mGearg Cantor developed instead ct collections of objects, the wajesiic, wondrous defined by a common edifice of Set Theory! property. For “all right *viongles' ‘all rigeronetrc functions! The Coech progenitor of sets was called Berahard Bola alse 0 Ronan Cathoke priest, And, sure enough, hi 6\y| During the Congress, every (| restaurant and café was host to the new tcleas. WONDER IF DINERS SIT AS "PRO-" OR "CONTRA-SETS'! urHE WANTS AMACHNE, TON WAND THE SAUSAGES FEED IT AXIOMS AND MAKE. BL COME CUT FROM THE THEOREMS, LIKE ONE WHERE APIG ENTERS THE ONE. SDE. HERR PROFESSOR WILBERT'S IDEAS, VICH YOU INANELY RIDICULE, ARE ZE MATHEMATIC OF ZE FUTURE! (OH, | THINK MY FRIEND HILBERT HAS A.GOOD EAR FOR METAPHORS. TO HERR HILBERT, AND "ZE MATHEMATIC. OF ZE FUTURE"!But letwe give youn Ga ‘dea of the new wteliee*val ere Gate we fourd owseves, "Alon the bearel, and then | draw a sheight line. net geing througn ¥ Euctiol would hove usecl the exact Sawe. word, a6 would have, aff watheuaticions, for over two How wainy straiget li can we drew! throug) that are parallel 40 this line? “9The odvent of the new, non-Eudidean geoweties hos! subverted! the nation of axioms as “obvious truths . In fact, i+hodl supplantecl +he very nation of “obviousness! This epiritwas vouhere better expressed thon in Hilbert's wuch- , "the Probles of anes i Matnewoties". His stated oina was to give a ; a bird’s-eye-view of the future, by way of twenty tree wajor unsolved probleme. e ema @| NO TRUTH EXISTS FOR LS above alla plea for fame i OUTSIDE THE CRUCBLE a new wertalty, which annulled a hast of existing preconceptions. i x OF THER, ou THEY uN "NATURAL" TRUTHS i F SY ALL WE CAN ASK OF Se Leda Seocees, aoe roar neY BUT WE MUST ABANDCN ANY SENSEFOR us, THE DEVILS ARE CONTRADICTION AND PARADOX! 60, FOR MATHEMATICS TO CONTINUE TO REIGN AS QUEEN OF THE SCIENCES, WE MUST BANISH FROM IT, AS FOR MATHEMATICAL PROOF, WE MUST REDUCE $0 PRECISE THAT IT CAN BE EXECUTED Yn ww MACHINE EQUIPPED WITH THE REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONS FOR, ALL THAT WHICH IS NOT PLRELY AND STRICTLY LOGICAL! Sone of "Hilbert's Problems" of 1200 wathneucticians busy even today. But one of thew becowe the target oF wy own drecus. Ad 50,70 MAKE. MATHEMATICS IMPREGNABLE TO | cous, We Must Aks7 Fag BUILD ARITHMETIC ON Jaa) ‘A OROLND OF TOTAL CERTAINTY! NUMBER 1S AT THE CORE OF EVERY BRANCH OF MATHEMATICS, AND f] THUS ARITHMETIC Is THE ROCK UPON WHICH ALL OUR TRUTHS MUST ULTIMATELY BE SASED! A7 CONVECTION THAT ALL THESE GREAT PROBLEMS ARE 80L ‘imRESTS ON THE PRINOPLE THAT THE WORLD IS TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE by 8Y REASON... THAT IFA QUESTION CAN BE RIGOROUSLY STATED, IT CAN BE LOGICALLY } ANSWERED! TISNTHS SPRIT THAT WE FACE THE NEW CENTURY OF PROGRESS, SCIENCE AND HOPE! WE HEAR WITHIN US THE CALL: "THERE 15 THE PROBLEM, SEEK ITS SOLUTION, FOR IT CAN BE FOUND!" FORIN OUR SCENCE - | a "Bliss was it in that dawn to be. ee) | fi i alive. But to be youre was very a te i Heaven!" # Latin for ‘we shall net know.)lcrossed the Chornel with wy heart firmly set onthe. course ttwas to folow henceforth. But reallly, | hadl cone fullcivcle, to my first intellectual frustrations. At last, | hack 40 face my dfsilusion with Euclals “obvious! oxiows head on. Olan | DON'T THNK THEY ARE. WORTH THAT MUCH... YET! ’ AHEMa WELL, LET ME SEE IS THERE A BLACKBOARD FREGE AND THE ON BOARD? ITALIAN PEANO 4834, PARADOXESAfter wy retum from Paris, | set out with fiery, though rather wisjudged, optivisu, to write. the book that woulel solve all founcletional problems — ard then some! | used on elegant notation invented by Peanc. (was convinced | was. onthe right track. FREEDOM FROM FURTHER, INTERRUPTIONS. REQURE ANYTHING? BI The treasures of Lagic came ata price. ‘erNEWSPAPERSH! fi i I | ch-ftecl Farther and Farther {9} ania Frees havavity® | Hj concerns, swaller lage. Al i i a BOERS ARE GETTING SQUASHED! READ ALL. ABOUT IT! 168BAND $0 OLD FOR, YOU, MY DEAR! ageTHERE ARE GOOP MOMENTS, ARE THERE NOT? WHAT ARE, YOu SAYIN OLD CHAP’ila here to speak about wy affair with Lege. Sol stick to that —o8 wich 29 life. will et we. UA ARE_AT THE Basis 3 (OF NUMBER! WERE INTERESTED | IN NUMBERS! In wry research, ‘ unade, wel, use of the single ‘clea of the priest Boizanon "THREE-NESS" 5 THE COMMON PROPERTY \E OF THREE UMBRELLAS, THREE HORSES HAVE MOST INTERESTING REALLY? AND | THOUGHT THEM BORING! 468Wi THE SETOFALL IDEAS Is AN IDEA... Nir mae e | NATTA EREFORE, IT CONTAINS “TTSELF Ag AN ELEMENT. THAT'S AN STING DICHOTOMY: © SET OF SETS WHICH FL CONTAIN THEMSELVES...In my life tedate, | have writen cletens of books andl hundlreds of aricles.. ve ‘given thousands of lectures. Far @ confounded paradex I discovered that year. But |suspect wy vawse wil! suru if it does at all Imagine a foun | witha strict aw | on shaving. is required to shave daily In fact, the law decrees: These, uho don't shave themselves are shoved by the barber.""Those who don't shave thensehes are shaved! - by the bar ; w However if Wwe will shave token the barber?" He obviously cannot choose, to shove, hisself, nbeing the barber, tt would wean that heis shaved by the wan who Shoves orl.Y wTHE FAMOUS PRONOUNCEMENT OF EUBOULIDES! “MY FELLOW CITIZENS, 1a Now LYING TO vou! THING OF IT: IF HE IS LYING, THEN HE IS IN FACT TELLING THE TRUTH! AND IF HE Is TELLING THE TRUTH WHEN SOMETHING REFERS TO ITSELF, PARADOX IS NEARBY. TAKE SELF-REFERENTIAL BOOKS, FOR EXAMPLE... * Of course LOGICOMIK is cso self-referentic 166 NO,NO! BOOKS THAT INCLUDE REFERENCE TO THEMSELVES, LIKE STERNE'S “TRISTRAM SHANDY" CALNINO'S "IF ON A WINTER'S NIGHT A TRAVELLER".SUPPOSE NOW YOU MAKE A COMPLETE CATALOGUE OF ALL BOOKS THAT ARE NOT SELF-REFERENTIAL! SURE! BUT THE QUESTION IS... $0? WHAT'S THS GOT TO DO WITH RUSSELL'S PARADOX?“Does the set of all i It sounds like o parler sets which de nat w lf itelees, then it witticisna, But it subverts contain theuselves contain cbesn't And fit the raleny itself?" To uhich the doesn't, tinen tt abes! colecton defined! by a Pee Lis oftcepected cred thet "Legie 's borren" now fourel a perfect justification HEREFORE, IF WE TAKE E PROPERTY |S BELONGS TO _$' AND CONSIDER ITS NEGATION AS DEFINING,WY MONSTER, TE USURFER OF GOD'S ABSOLUTE GREATNESS Us IM A FREE MAN AT LAST! DON'T VOU UNDERSTAND??? NO LONGER consternation. Logicions were, devastated! 6)He. ee way paraclox onthe veryday vhen he was tosie the geraread to print volume TWO. |i ain instant, he veelized the ff iaport of wy clscovery. Frege, too, hac bult his edifice onthe ground of Bolzavo's Buupe idea of set Andnowhe hacl seen that this ground! was rotten — he By implanting sefs into Losic, he hed injected’ a letinal conker into ite bool. So: the "Foundations of Arithuetic! were n unfounded. DON'T BE LATE FOR, DINNER, COTTLO! 70Wit-WiiAT = DESTROY. THE PRINTING PLATES? YW" _ HERR PROFESSOR, WE SLAVED ON THS FoR Nf WICORE NOS, YEARS ON ENO! IF YOU t A DON'T DOTTY DON'T TAKE PITY ON YOUR ‘OWN WORK, THEN AT LEAST CONSIDER Of all the acts of 7 intellectual honesty | have witressed in wry le, ; ore. couperes with Gottlee Frege's reocton to uy paradox Wee There conot be greater intellectual de" a ene courage than thé. oom pains ag 7 = oy gasson® 2 eee =Lastly, you way well ask: what was wy For having exposed the doings PoetTRULY RUSSELL, Ves a ‘WAS ABOUT TO. YOuR PARADOX BEGIN VOLUME TWO OF 1S DEVASTATING! i] eee i py 200 : “NEVER GLAD CONFDENT mI'VE ALSO GIVEN UP ON VOLUME TWO MORNING AGAIN”. OF AY "PRINCIPLES OF MATHEMATICS! FOR US WORKING, ON FOUNDATIONS, IT's BACK Ta 8mVOU HAVE. ANY BRIGHT IDEAS FOR GINING IT BACK TOUS! sul DON'T KNOW ABOUT "CAVING. BACK". BUT THE PARADOX JUST MIGHT BE CROUMVENTED! TAKE THE "WHO NOW, IMAGINE SHAVES THE THE BARBER'S BARBER?” ViLAGE TOBE SITUATED... CASTES 1,234 WHERE CASTE 4 IS HGHER THAN 3, BS HicuER THAN 2, 2 THANA,YOU SEE? BY FORBIDING INTRA*CASTE SHAVING YOU ALSO RULE OUT SELF-SHAVING! GOT, FOR THE MOMENT! IN"SET LANGUAGE”, THS MEANS A SET OF ONE TYPE CAN ONLY INCLUDE SETS OF A LOWER! NO SELF- INCLUSION... INTERESTING! BUT I WONDER: TUST HOW MUCH OF SET THEORY... sn EVERY MORNING, | WAKE UP ‘AN OPTIMIST, BUT AFTER A DAY'S WORK, | DESPAIR. THE VERY SZEOF “J THE PROBLEM MAKES ME. LOSE HEART. 5YOU MEAN... WRITE TOGETHER THE SECOND VOLUME OF YOUR “UNIVERSAL ALGEBRA"? WHAT Sav YOU WE JOIN FORCES? Te rebuild Logic from scratch is not eee i iow a lightly eas TO “PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA"! HIP. HlPou HURRAAAHII! withna plows te ieapeoe 34 vei" Theory of Types.Spring 205 came, ond went, and eur work's: cowpletion MY DEAR, ARE YO COMPLETELY FEELING: RE-WRITING ALRIGHT? AND? I THE PREMISE |SHARDLY A. "SURPRISE", (MY DEAR! THS IS MS NTH PRE- BREAKFAST VISIT THIS MONTH. "RAMIFIED TYPES" T00? YOUR FIRST INSTINCT WAS RIGHT: "TYPES" ARE ARTIFICIAL — NOT UNIVERSAL ENOUGH! A PROBLEM OF COURSE! 15 ADDRESSED TO ERIC, YOU SEE! 78"Pircpa could vot diverge frou +S Tee a principle. Yet, os you com see From sone Ines Oa of the book, rancorly picked our understancling Recor | fot Of siuplicity was a wee. bit idiosynovatic. that the sinpler 262, UeU2ULY. Dome Plu) atheory was, 5 #051284 91162. fs. s,uerru vy he greater we , zelulty.9 Even before Whitehead and I spert that Soamer ¥e-exowining our prewises. autuun cone, se heel changed course agpiin: Euclid: anew set of axiows! Bein wore tie for work, my wife om soved in with the Whiteheodls. Sawe roof was not o cure for cur problewusi«The eles hours spent abou desks WORK IS NOT il ABOUT ASKING, MAN, - mmIT'S ABOUT INSWERING! Tus storm ‘aIVE SAD YES" TO YOUR EVERY WH UNTIL Now! 184 PRECISELY! THE UNDERWORLD OF MATHEMATICS! BLOW, WINDS, AND CRACK YOUR CHEEKS!BLAST IT ALL! BLAST! FREGE WAS RIGHT, ONLY "WE CENTAURS" ARE FIT TO ACHIEVE, THS TASK! |SHOULD NEVER HAVE TRUSTED. A MERE MATHEMATICIANS 1 Say, THAT'S ISHOULD NEVER HAVE AGREED TO WORK WITH THE OLD GOAT! ARE YOU SURE YOUR PROBLEM iS REALL, ALFRED? THIS $ NOT JUST ANY BOOK, DOESN'T HE REALIZE HE'S GONG. SOFT IN THE 182Only by being “stupicl” can You break the barrier of the Seeing puget also in our case Actually, we were of the other extvewe from giorts: we hecl becoue charts! Ard | wean this quite literally. For, often, the ight way to philosophize. is. yourself artifcaly stupid! MY DEAR, BERT WORKING! We were firally led +0.an astounding 1! FINALLY DONE WITH THE DAMN THING!Te achieve. this wensuental task, teok Us a a were u 362. pages! Think of that: 362 pages REPORT YOU TO to prove what every chile! Knows. rs THE PRICE You Pay FOR BENG TRULY CERTAIN. THAT'S US, YOUR DAD ANDI. GLAMOROUS, Bur VERY CRUCIAL! 185years to conplete, the first three voluues of our grand edifice. lin Fact, loiclnt even fa Krow, back then, trat we had! i coupleted anything. [ | NOW SHOWING THE PRERAPHAELITE BROTHERHOOD AND THEIR, a perfect syubol for [al his argument. 186led we 0 i+ vrovgh the ewply, rescinding ball CONDEMNED BY THE GODS, ENDLESSLY TO POUR WATER, TO FILL A LEAKING TAR!ALONG, LONG WAY TO GO! bo vou THNK? FINISHED, NOT BY HALL YOU SAID AT SOME POINT WE'LL RE-EXAMINE: THE BASICS! WE 20 IT, AGAIN AND AGAIN =) L T's Loaic: i!YEG Can you of all understord YA the state |was in, back then? Does| a wy desperation wake any sense fo, You? What say you, Maclan? yy EE Well odait that it nt feo clear, Frofessor Russell “Lay pecple often feel wiles away trem 0 philosopher's worries. at, despite anything Scerates ray have believed So, uinat Whitehead and | were really doing, in building a paracox- free Logic that could support . Mathenatics, wes Arrght. Let's op over the shges of the AS Pees Cima aang ene conta Pu aN a Cmah athe en vala!) Ande 7 And, Fixing the hole the struggle te Thad expees warks uy oun i : mp parle emi orercowe tt! Frege's ideas! \ve said that the Fourdetions of Mathematics were lke 0 wythical turtle ‘supporting the Coswas. Yer, all we aie when we tied +0 create solid greunel For the beast 40 stand Mm was. Ard we were successful ‘nour task, in all ways but one: no watter how deep we went, ow too-tno-soliel system was being built on sand. Or worsen