Hilbert, Göttingen and the Development of Modern Mathematics

Book excerpt: David Hilbert is one of the outstanding mathematicians of the twentieth century and probably the most influential. This book highlights Hilbert’s contributions to mathematics, putting them in their historical, social and cultural context. In doing so, particular attention is paid to Hilbert’s axiomatic method and his proposal for the foundations of mathematics, the so-called Hilbert’s program. The book also discusses the development of algebraic number theory, the theory of integral equations, modern algebra and the structural image of mathematics. In addition, it considers the famous list of Mathematical Problems presented in Paris in 1900, the mathematical tradition of the University of Göttingen, the great debate on the foundations of mathematics in the twenties between formalists and intuitionists, and, finally, Hilbert’s work on the theory of relativity and the foundations of quantum mechanics. The book will primarily appeal to an academic audience, although it will also be of interest to general-interest science readers.