A review of Alfred North Whitehead's "Introduction to Mathematics"

Thomas Hales

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arXiv · 2403.19675

A review of Alfred North Whitehead's "Introduction to Mathematics"

Thomas Hales

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Abstract

In 1911, Alfred North Whitehead published a short book "Introduction to Mathematics" (IM) intended for students wanting an explanation of the fundamental ideas of mathematics. Whitehead's IM has enduring value because it was written not long after he and Bertrand Russell published their monumental three-volume work "Principia Mathematica" (PM) -- a publication of immense historical significance for mathematics. IM sheds light on Whitehead's view of mathematics at that time. Whitehead's book places proofs in predicate logic as the mythical starting point of mathematics, although Whitehead himself was slow to understand the significance of symbolic predicate logic.

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Thomas Hales. 2024-02-19. A review of Alfred North Whitehead's "Introduction to Mathematics". https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.19675

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