finitudine

Finitudine is the Italian noun for the state or quality of being finite. It is used in philosophical and mathematical contexts to discuss the limitations inherent to beings and systems. In English, the analogous term is finitude, while finitudine is primarily encountered in Italian-language discourse.

In philosophy, finitudine describes the limits of human knowledge, freedom, mortality, and temporality. It is a central theme in debates about existential condition, ethics, and epistemology, where finitude is often contrasted with unlimited possibility or with the idea of the divine or absolute infinity.

In mathematics and logic, finitude refers to the property of having a finite number of elements. A finite set, sequence, or structure has a countable size, as opposed to infinite. The concept is foundational in combinatorics, algebra, and set theory, where finite objects are distinguished from infinite ones.

In theology and religious thought, finitude characterizes the creaturely condition: humans and other beings are finite relative to the infinite or eternal nature of the divine. This stance informs doctrines about creation, truth, and the limits of human understanding.

The term is related to concepts such as infinity, finite sets, and cardinality, and it features in discussions about human limitation, knowledge, and the scope of inquiry.