David Hilbert (1862-1943) was the most influential mathematician
of the early twentieth century and, together with Henri Poincare,
the last mathematical universalist. His main known areas of
research and influence were in pure mathematics (algebra, number
theory, geometry, integral equations and analysis, logic and
foundations), but he was also known to have some interest in
physical topics. The latter, however, was traditionally conceived
as comprising only sporadic incursions into a scientific domain
which was essentially foreign to his mainstream of activity and in
which he only made scattered, if important, contributions.
Based on an extensive use of mainly unpublished archival
sources, the present book presents a totally fresh and
comprehensive picture of Hilbert s intense, original,
well-informed, and highly influential involvement with physics,
that spanned his entire career and that constituted a truly main
focus of interest in his scientific horizon. His program for
axiomatizing physical theories provides the connecting link with
his research in more purely mathematical fields, especially
geometry, and a unifying point of view from which to understand his
physical activities in general. In particular, the now famous
dialogue and interaction between Hilbert and Einstein, leading to
the formulation in 1915 of the generally covariant field-equations
of gravitation, is adequately explored here within the natural
context of Hilbert s overall scientific world-view.
This book will be of interest to historians of physics and of
mathematics, to historically-minded physicists and mathematicians,
and to philosophers of science."
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