Real Truth—True Reality 

Approaches Through Mathematics and Computer Science 

Mathematics can thus be defined as the science in which we never know what we are talking about and never know whether what we say is true. 

- Bertrand Russell (1872–1979) 

When virtual reality becomes widely available, it will not be seen as a medium used within physical reality, but rather as an additional reality. 

- Howard Rheingold (1991) 

A central goal of all sciences is to grasp reality. But on what grounds can such descriptions lay claim to truth? Do mathematical proofs, for example, guarantee the truth of what is asserted? Do truth and provability (at least in mathematics) even coincide? Furthermore: What reality does mathematics describe? By what method and through what objects does it approach reality? But we must also take into account the active aspect of the sciences—that is, the structuring and shaping of reality, or even the production of new, “virtual” realities. Here, computer science plays a key role with far-reaching societal implications. What evidential value, for example, does a documentary film still hold? Does spending time in “virtual worlds” pose genuine competition to real life? 

Of course, the distinction between a theoretical and an active aspect is also reversible: even ancient mathematics posited the existence of objects that cannot be perceived by the senses—mathematics creates its own realities. And in computer science, modeling and simulation claim to contribute to our understanding of true reality. The 2008 Rome Seminar will explore these and similar topics and questions.