1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910847082703321

Autore

Brieskorn Egbert

Titolo

Felix Hausdorff : Mathematician, Philosopher, Man of Letters / / by Egbert Brieskorn, Walter Purkert

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer Nature Switzerland : , : Imprint : Birkhäuser, , 2024

ISBN

3-031-52135-8

Edizione

[1st ed. 2024.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (512 pages)

Collana

Vita Mathematica, , 2504-3706 ; ; 21

Altri autori (Persone)

PurkertWalter

RoweDavid

Disciplina

510.92

Soggetti

Mathematics

History

Science - History

Sociology - Biographical methods

History of Mathematical Sciences

History of Science

Biographical Research

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Preface -- Notice for the Reader -- I. Family Background and Early Intellectual Interests -- Hausdorff’s Childhood and Youth -- Hausdorff’s Student Years and Short-lived Astronomical Career -- Hausdorff’s Early Mathematical Works -- II. A Double Life: the Mathematician Felix Hausdorff and the Philosopher/Man of Letters Paul Mongré -- Paul Mongré as a Philosopher -- Paul Mongré: Author, Essayist and Critic -- Mathematics takes First Priority -- III. Hausdorff’s Crowning Mathematical Works -- Hausdorff at the Pinnacle of his Career -- Full Professor in Bonn, 1921–1933 -- Hausdorff’s Life during the Nazi Dictatorship -- Bibliography -- Name Index.

Sommario/riassunto

Felix Hausdorff is a singular phenomenon in the history of science. As a mathematician, he played a major role in shaping the development of modern mathematics in the 20th century. He founded general topology as an independent mathematical discipline, while enriching set theory with a number of fundamental concepts and results. His general approach to measure and dimension led to profound developments in



numerous mathematical disciplines, and today Hausdorff dimension plays a central role in fractal theory with its many fascinating applications by means of computer graphics. Hausdorff ’s remarkable mathematical versatility is reflected in his published work: today, no fewer than thirteen concepts, theorems and procedures carry his name. Yet he was not only a creative mathematician – Hausdorff was also an original philosophical thinker, a poet, essayist and man of letters. Under the pseudonym Paul Mongré, he published a volume of aphorisms, an epistemological study, a book of poetry, an oft-performed play, and a number of notable essays in leading literary journals. As a Jew, Felix Hausdorff was increasingly persecuted and humiliated under the National Socialist dictatorship. When deportation to a concentration camp was imminent, he, along with his wife and sister-in law, decided to take their own lives. This book will be of interest to historians and mathematicians already fascinated by the rich life of Felix Hausdorff, as well as to those readers who wish to immerse themselves in the intricate web of intellectual and political transformations during this pivotal period in European history.