Livin’ in Cantor’s Paradise
Russell Marcus

(with apologies to Coolio. really. i’m sorry.)

As I walk through the valley of the epsilon-delta
I take a look at my life and realize I’ve never felt an
Ideal element, or something to represent
An infinitesimal, or a large power set.
But I ain’t never committed to a negative existential
An infinite statement, a universal claim y’all
You better watch how you talkin’, and what you countin’
Or you and your homies might be spoutin’ - antinomies
I really hate to trip, but I gotta loc’-
As you spoke I see myself with limit ordinals, fool
I’m the kinda G finitist homies wanna be like
Formalist pleas in the night
Countin’ one-two-three in the street light

We been spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We been spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We keep spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We keep spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise

Look at the situation, they got me facing
I can’t quantify over reals, or even all natural numbers
So I gotta be down with only finite substitutions
Commutativity, associativity, proofs of consistency
I’m a educated fool mathematics on my mind
Got proof theory in my hand and a gleam in my eye
Every mathematical problem is solvable, now
Bernays and I found the size of the continuum
The supreme tribunal but a heart beat away
The axiomatic method, what can I say?
It’s nineteen twenty-five, but will I live past ‘31?
The way things is goin’ I don’t know

Tell me why are we, so blind to see
The powers of infinity

We been spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We been spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We keep spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We keep spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise

Power sets and limits, limits and the power
Minute after minute, hour after hour
Countin’ natural numbers, up past omega,
to the omega to the omega to the omega to the omega
They say I got ta learn, the meanings of these terms,
But these limited tools, keep me finite, am I a fool?
I guess I can’t; I guess I won’t
I guess Gödel shows why my life is outta luck, fool!

We been spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We been spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We keep spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise
We keep spending most our lives exiled from Cantor’s Paradise

Tell me why are we, so blind to see
The powers of infinity
Tell me why are we, so blind to see
The powers of infinity

March 6, 2008

Comments and suggestions are welcome.