Analysis on Tristram Shandys Paradox

Analysis on Tristram shandygaffs ParadoxTristram shandygaffs ParadoxAccording to an Encyclopedia entry on NationMaster.com (2009) it is generally considered that the publications of Laurence Sternes The Life and popular opinion of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman had a dominant effect on literature of that time. Like his contemporary hold openrs, Sterne debated publicly upon the boundary between literature and philosophy, thats why his book is fill up with allusions and references to philosophers, critics and economizers of the 17th and 18th centuries namely Pope, Locke, and Swift. It seems that those leading thinkers influenced Sternes The Life and Opinion of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman immensely. For instance, sagacious Lockes screen Concerning Human Understanding (1690) contributed ideas and frameworks that Sterne explored throughout his novel, and thus showing his reservation with the science and philosophy of his dayPray, Sir, in all the reading which you commence ever read, did you ever read such a book as Lockes Essay upon the Human Understanding? Dont answer me rashlybecause many, I know, quote the book, who drive not read itand many have read it who ensure it notIf either of these is your case, as I write to instruct, I will tell you in three words what the book is. It is a history.A history of who? what? where? when? Dont hurry yourselfIt is a history-book, Sir, (which may perchance recommend it to the world) of what passes in a mans own mind and if you will say so much of the book, and no more, believe me, you will cut no miserable figure in a metaphysick circle. (Tristram Shandy, ch. 1 XXVII, p. 40)Many people believe that Sternes novelThe Life and Opinion of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman differs drastically from the contemporary literature of both(prenominal) Defoe and Richardson by his methods of narrative construction and exploration of the external world. Tristram Shandy is presented in the very act of creation and change by rejecting real ism, but examining inner states of consciousness. In addition, what sets Tristram Shandy a divide from its contemporary fiction is the use of language.It appears to me that this novel is an example of process writing to the moment where time is tied to and belongs to the protagonist. That kind of process writing in Lawrence Sternes novel, where the persona of author is trying despe set outly to write his autobiography, leads to one of the time conundrumes. It takes Tristram Shandy one year to record the events of a single day of his life. Tristram laments that, at this rate, he will never finish.I am this month one whole year older than I was this time twelve-month and having got, as you perceive, almost into the halfway of the fourth volumeand no farther than to my first eld daytis demonstrative that I have three hundred and sixty-four more old age to write just now, than when I first set out so that instead of advancing, as a common writer, in my work with what I have been doin g at iton the contrary, I am just thrown so many volumes backwas every day of my life to be as officious as thisAnd why not?and the transactions and opinions of it to take up as much descriptionAnd for what reason should they be cut short? at this rate I should just live 364 times faster than I should writeIt must follow, an please your worships, that the more I write, the more I shall have to writeand consequently, the more your worships read, the more your worships will have to read (Tristram Shandy, ch. 2 XVLIII, p. 126)In order to link Tristram Shandys writing process with time paradoxes, I will presently outline the background to Bertrand Russells theory. In his book The Principles of Mathematics,chapter XLIII on the philosophy of the numberless his analysis consists of the inquiry whether any contradiction can be engraft in the whimsey of infinite. In this specific chapter Russells crucial points are focused on the semantical and set-theoretical paradoxes or antinomies as he calls them. The twentieth century philosopher, Bertrand Russell claimed that if Tristram Shandy were amaranthine he would be able to finish his autobiography. Russells assertion that Tristram would be able to complete this seemingly impossible task is the source of the Tristram Shandy paradox. And thus Russell concludesTristram Shandy, as we know, took two years writing the history of the first two eld of his life, and lamented that, at this rate, material would accumulate faster than he could deal with it, so that he could never come to an end. Now I maintain that, if he had lived for ever, and not wearied of his task, then, even if his life had continued as eventfully as it began, no part of his biography would have remained unwritten. This paradox, which, as I shall show, is strictly correlative to the Achilles, may be called for convenience the Tristram Shandy. (Russell, p. 358)Russells theory consists of two powerful components in the Tristram Shandy paradoxthe number of days that Tristram lives and the number of days required writing close those days. The sum of those two quantities will logically give us the number of days Tristram needs to complete his autobiography. Assuming that Tristram were indeed immortal, then the number of days in his life would be infinite. If that were the case, the second quantity, the number of days it takes him to write about his life, would also be infinite as well as the sum of those two quantities. Thus we can conclude that, Tristram needs an infinite number of days to finish his autobiography. Given he were immortal, he would have an infinite number of days in which to write. Therefore, the key aspect of Russells descent is the capability of an immortal Tristram Shandy finishing his autobiography, since the number of days in his life is equivalent to the number of days required to write about his life as they are both infinite.As far as Russells argument is concerned, it is not totally accepted. Many of his crit ics contend that Tristram Shandy could not possibly finish his autobiography even if he were immortal. Again, assuming that it takes Tristram one year to record the events of one day of his life, then each day that Tristram lives adds a year to the time needed to complete his task, thus causing him to fall another year behind with each passing day. As a result, in this situation the amount of time needed for Tristram to write his autobiography is increasing faster than the amount of time he actually has in which to write. It would simply cause him to fall infinitely far behind. Hence, according to critics of Russells argument the immortality would not allow the protagonist, Tristram, to complete his task.I strongly believe that both arguments outlined above are consistent as well as logically valid due to the case of the Tristram Shandy paradox. Nevertheless bearing in mind the previous points it could be said that the paradox discovered by Bertrand Russell in 1901 suggested that a ctual infinity was not an issue to dismiss due to the uncertain nature of infinity. I suppose that Tristram Shandys paradox emphasizes the basic problem in acquiring to grips with infinity which has always been a remarkable enchantment for great philosophers and writers throughout history in its notion of unending space and distance, God and eternity, time and duration.To understand what time is aright, without which we never can comprehend infinity, insomuch as one is a portion of the otherwe ought seriously to sit down and consider what idea it is we have of duration, so as to give a satisfactory account how we came by it. What is that to any body? quoth my uncle Toby. (Vide Locke.) (Tristram Shandy, ch. 2 XI, p. 84)It is necessary to note that Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, provided a main key by introducing the terms actual infinite and potential infinite in an attempt to distinguish between the two. He strongly believed that the terminate or actual infinite could no t represent. While on the other hand, potential infinite might be represented as a seeming(a) in nature. There has been debate as to whether infinity is a reality or an idea. Rucker in his chapter 1 on Infinity helps us in characterizing it as follows Aristotle would say that the set of natural numbers is potentially infinite, since there is no largest natural number, but he would deny that the set is actually infinite, since it does not exist as one finished thing.(p. 3) Later on Rucker ends up suggesting that Aristotles belief is a doubtful distinction agreeing with Cantors opinion that in truth the potentially infinite has only a borrowed reality, insofar as a potentially infinite imagination always points towards a logically prior actually infinite concept whose existence it depends on.(p. 3) In other words an actual infinite is not like a potential one which is growing to the infinity as a limit, although giving a collection which is finite in time at every point.If this is the case that potential infinite is growing to the infinite limit then I do believe in its existence. But as far as completed infinite is concerned, my supposition will be negative. I jibe to the fact that actual infinite exists. The concept of actual infinite seems to me as an idea or a succession of ideas in our mind while the notion of potential infinite is represented by the future. Granted that Tristram Shandy wrote one day of his autobiography for 365 days then in general what this will suggest is the sum of the two equivalents which would be constantly finite but increasing to the infinity as a limit. Thus I assume that a central analysis of the Tristram Shandys paradox explained by Russell proves my suggestion that the narrator, Tristram Shandy, would never reach the completed or actual infinite. Hence he would never finish his autobiography.