During his lifetime, Kurt Goedel was not well known outside the professional world of mathematicians, philosophers and theoretical physicists. Early in his career, for his doctoral thesis and then for his Habilitation (Dr.Sci.), he wrote earthshaking articles on the completeness and provability of mathematical-logical systems, upsetting the hypotheses of the most famous mathematicians/philosophers of the time. He later delved into theoretical physics, finding a unique solution to Einstein's equations for gravity, the 'Goedel Universe', and made contributions to philosophy, the guiding theme of his life.

This book includes more details about the context of Goedel's life than are found in earlier biographies, while avoiding an elaborate treatment of his mathematical/scientific/philosophical works, which have been described in great detail in other books. In this way, it makes him and his times more accessible to general readers, and will allow them to appreciate the lasting effects of Goedel's contributions (the latter in a more up-to-date context than in previous biographies, many of which were written 15-25 years ago). His work spans or is relevant to a wide spectrum of intellectual endeavor, and this is emphasized in the book, with recent examples. This biography also examines possible sources of his unusual personality, which combined mathematical genius with an almost childlike naivete concerning everyday life, and striking scientific innovations with timidity and hesitancy in practical matters. How he nevertheless had a long and successful career, inspiring many younger scholars along the way, with the help of his loyal wife Adele and some of his friends, is a fascinating story in human nature.

About the Author

William D. Brewer was born 1943 in the USA. Educated in Chemistry and Mathematics at Univ. Oregon (Eugene) and Univ. California (Berkeley). Postdoctoral work in physics at the Freie Universitat Berlin and in Orsay, France. Habilitation in experimental physics at the FU Berlin, later University Professor there. Research in nuclear and solid-state physics, magnetism on surfaces and in thin films. Visiting scientist at Paris-Sud, IBM Yorktown Heights, Stanford, CRTBT Grenoble, KU Leuven, Univ. Sao Paulo, CBPF - Rio de Janeiro. Translations of over 20 scientific works (German to English), work for the Einstein Papers Project. Co-author of the book "Jayme Tiomno - A Life for Science, a Life for Brazil" in the Springer Biographies series (2020).

Reviews

"The book is generously illustrated, often with color photographs and diagrams, mostly of individuals mentioned in the book, or of maps and buildings where Goedel lived or stayed ... at various periods throughout his life. ... anyone interested in a general overview of his biography and broad sketches of his technical works and philosophical/theological views will find this an easy read." (Joseph W. Dauben, Mathematical Reviews, September, 2023)

"This biography of Kurt Goedel is written for a wide audience with a limited mathematical background. ... The biography is written in a clear and readable style and is very well researched. I was particularly impressed by the author's familiarity with all things German. ... I strongly recommend this biography to anyone interested in the life (and the work) of Kurt Goedel, whose incompleteness theorems spelled the end of Hilbert's program." (Franz Lemmermeyer, zbMATH 1505.01001, 2023)



Book Information
ISBN 9783031113086
Author William D. Brewer
Format Hardback
Page Count 495
Imprint Springer International Publishing AG
Publisher Springer International Publishing AG