Blyth Lecture Series

Event Information A skeptical history of numbers
16:00 on Monday January 16, 2017
17:00 on Monday January 16, 2017
FI230, Fields Institute, 222 College St.
Curtis McMullen
http://math.harvard.edu/~ctm/
Harvard University
http://math.harvard.edu/

Quantum theory, virtual particles, curved space and dark energy all emerged from a critical assessment of the foundations of physics in the 20th century. In the same period, a foundational crisis threatened the edifice of mathematics itself. Focusing on the concept of numbers, this talk will recap some of the great leaps of imagination in the history of mathematical thought, describe the foundational crisis, critique the attempts to rescue certainty, and assess the current state of affairs.