Reflections on Kurt Gödel

by Hao Wang

Newton/Descartes. Einstein/Gödel. The seventeenth century had its scientific and philosophical geniuses. Why shouldn't ours have them as well? Kurt Gödel was indisputably one of the greatest thinkers of our time, and in this first extended treatment of his life and work, Hao Wang, who was in close contact with Gödel in his last years, brings out the full subtlety of Gödel's ideas and their connection with grand themes in the history of mathematics and philosophy. The subjects he covers include the completeness of elementary logic, the limits of formalization, the problem of evidence, the concept of set, the philosophy of mathematics, time, and relativity theory, metaphysics and religion, as well as general ideas on philosophy as a worldview. Wang, whose reflections on his colleague also serve to clarify his own philosophical thoughts, distinguishes his ideas from those of Gödel's and on points of agreement develops Gödel's views further. The book provides a generous array of information on and interpretation of the two main phases of Gödel's career - the years between 1924 and 1939 at the University of Vienna, which were marked by intense mathematical creativity, and the period from 1940 to his death in 1978, during which he was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, a time in which Gödel's interests steadily shifted from questions of logic to metaphysics. And it also examines Gödel's relations with the Vienna Circle, his philosophical differences with Carnap and Wittgenstein, the intimate and mutually fruitful friendship with Einstein, and the periodic bouts of depression for which Gödel was hospitalized a number of times over the course of his life. A Bradford Book.

Genres: Philosophy, Mathematics, Biography, Science

362 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 1987

Reviews

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic book on a fantastically brilliant individual. His theories are very intense and true (also false, but w/e).

I wouldn't say he has contributed a lot (though apparently he has). He would deny the claim and say he's done just the opposite.

Hao Wang = great writer. I would shake his hand.

[Frobisher Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very challenging book. I put it down and read other things several times while working my way through it, not because it isn't interesting, but because sections would often get into very deep discussions on formal mathematics and mathematical logic that are beyond my understanding. The book is also structured oddly, not like a normal memoir, biography, or philosophical overview would be and this results in some sections that are exceedingly dry and technical. However, I am overall glad I read it, and it contains many fascinating details about Gödel and his life and work. Everything discussed here is at a depth and level of detail missing from most other accounts. This is not an introductory work, to say the least!

[sologdin · Rating 2 out of 5]

intellectual memoir. genuinely affecting portrait of godel, with plenty of great anecdotes, such as how G and einstein walked across campus together, speaking a language from afar that no one else could hear, or how godel almost dicked up his citizenship exam before the magistrate by explaining how the US constitution logically permits fascist dictatorship when asked to explain the basics.