Re: [HM] Gian-Carlo Rota

Samuel S. Kutler (s-kutler@sjca.edu)
Wed, 21 Apr 1999 07:20:55 +0100

I was fortunate enough to be invited to dinner in Santa Fe--my college,
St. John's has a sister campus in Santa Fe--at which Gian-Carlo Rota was
the guest of honor. That was long ago, but I remember that he Husserl was
mentioned, an Gian-Carlo Rota said that he admired Husserl but remarked
that Husserl had the crazy notion that one is not a number.

Of course there is nothing crazy about the thought that one is not a
number. If one follows the definition of number that calls one a
multitude, then one is at the opposite pole from a number, since the polar
distinction is unity-multiplicity. Nevertheless, even in that
interpretation, one is at the beginning of number. The analogy: point is
to line as one is to number.

Gian-Carlo Rota will be missed. At what age has he died?

Best wishes,

Sam Kutler
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