The Selected Correspondence of L. E. J. Brouwer

by Van Dalen, Dirk

• ISBN13: 9780857295279
• ISBN10: 0857295276
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-08-09
• Publisher: Springer Nature

Summary

L.E.J. Brouwer (1881-1966) is best known for his revolutionary ideas on topology and foundations of mathematics (intuitionism). The present collection contains a mixture of letters; university and faculty correspondence has been included, some of which shed light on the student years, and in particular on the exchange of letters with his PhD adviser, Korteweg. #xC2;#xA0;Acting as the natural sequel to the publication of Brouwer#xE2;#xAC;"s biography, this book provides instrumental reading for those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of Brouwer and his role in the twentieth century. Striking a good balance of biographical and scientific information, the latter deals with innovations in topology (Cantor-Schoenflies style and#xC2;#xA0; the new topology) and foundations. The topological period in his research is well represented in correspondence with Hilbert, Schoenflies, Poincar#xC3;#xA9;, Blumenthal, Lebesgue, Baire, Koebe, and foundational topics are discussed in letters exchanged with Weyl, Fraenkel, Heyting, van Dantzig and others. There is also a large part of#xC2;#xA0; correspondence on matters related to the interbellum scientific politics. #xC2;#xA0;This book will appeal to both graduate students and researchers with an interest in topology,#xC2;#xA0; the history of mathematics, the foundations of mathematics, philosophy and general science.