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SUMMARY:Nicolas Bourbaki and the concept of mathematical structure - Leo C
 orry (Tel-Aviv University)
DTSTART:20120208T130000Z
DTEND:20120208T140000Z
UID:TALK35482@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:22487
DESCRIPTION:The concept of structure is one of the most pervasive ideas of
  twentieth century mathematics\, and it is associated more than with anyon
 e else\, with the name of Nicolas Bourbaki. This was the pseudonym adopted
  by a group of (mostly French) leading mathematicians that undertook the c
 ollective writing of a treatise meant to present the entire picture of mat
 hematics\ncentered on the idea of structure. This treatise had a tremendou
 s impact on mathematical research and teaching all around the world at lea
 st between 1945 and the 1970s. The idea of structure as associated with Bo
 urbaki also had important echoes in fields like the philosophy of mathemat
 ics (structuralism)\,  developmental psychology (Piaget)\, social anthropo
 logy\n(Levi-Strauss) and mathematical education (the New Math).\n\nIn my t
 alk I examine the origins and development of Bourbaki's idea of structure.
  I will show that this idea had two totally different and separate aspects
  that have typically been conflated in misleading ways. One is a general a
 pproach to  the practice of mathematics\, which was only implicit in their
  work\, and which is where Bourbaki's influence had its greatest effect. T
 he second one was a formal mathematical concept that was meant to underlie
  all of their conception and to provide an overall uniformity to their tre
 atment of the various mathematical disciplines. This was a rather unsucces
 sful idea devoid of any consequences on what Bourbaki did\, on what other 
 mathematicians could do\, of what happened in mathematics in any other way
 \, but at the same time it was the main source of their\nalleged importanc
 e for the philosophy of mathematics or outside mathematics.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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