The Search for Certainty: A Philosophical Account of Foundations of Mathematics - Couverture souple

Giaquinto, Marcus

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0198752458 ISBN 13 : 9780198752455

Editeur : Oxford University Press, USA, 2004

Synopsis

Marcus Giaquinto tells the compelling story of one of the great intellectual adventures of the modern era: the attempt to find firm foundations for mathematics. From the late nineteenth century to the present day, this project has stimulated some of the most original and influential work in logic and philosophy.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Marcus Giaquinto traces the story of the search for firm foundations for mathematics. The nineteenth century saw a movement to make higher mathematics rigorous; this seemed to be on the brink of success when it was thrown into confusion by the discovery of the class paradoxes. That initiated a period of intense research into the foundations of mathematics, and with it the birth of mathematical logic and a new, sharper debate in the philosophy of mathematics. The Search for Certainty focuses mainly on two major twentieth-century programmes: Russell's logicism and Hilbert's finitism. Giaquinto examines their philosophical underpinnings and their outcomes, asking how successful they were, and how successful they could be, in placing mathematics on a sound footing. He sets these questions in the context of a clear, non-technical exposition and assessment of the most important discoveries in mathematical logic, above all Gödel's underivability theorems. More than six decades after those discoveries Giaquinto asks what our present perspective should be on the question of certainty in mathematics. Taking recent developments into account, he gives reasons for a surprisingly positive response.

Revue de presse

Review from previous edition Giaquinto has provided a careful and judicious discussion and analysis of these matters, supplying needed technical background for readers who are not mathematicians ... Readers of this book will be well prepared to follow the current literature on foundations of mathematics. (Martin Davis, American Scientist)

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Oxford University Press, USA
• Date d'édition: 2004
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0198752458
• ISBN 13: 9780198752455
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 300
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Ufficio Anagrafiche Messaggerie; ufficio.anagrafiche@meli.it; ; Via Verdi, 8; Assago Milano; 20090; Italie