The chicken went into the bush and never came back: a note on infinity

Abstract

The history of infinity is well known to students of mathematics. The paths laid out by Aristotle and Cantor and by set theorists and theologians have made clear the peculiar ways in which we may view infinity. What is not as well known is that the notion of the infinite has also arisen outside of formal mathematical traditions. In this note, I offer a few examples of how the concept of infinity is manifested in traditions and cultures outside the formal mathematical canon.