A (very) Brief History of Kurt Gödel

In this episode, we cover the history of 20th century Austro-Hungarian mathematician, logician, and philosopher Kurt Gödel, considered to be one of the most significant logicians in history. He is most notable for his incompleteness theorems, which showed in any axiomatic mathematical system, there are propositions that cannot be proven or disproved within the axioms of the system.

As per usual, I don't go too deeply into the mathematics, largely just covering his history. Hope you enjoy!

[crisgon]

I can not find the source but I remembered reading that John von Neumann was present when Gödel first presented his Incompleteness theorem and was the only person in the crowd that understood what it actually meant. Von Neumann had a great admiration of Gödel. He campaign to have Gödel be accepted full time at Princeton saying "How can any of us be called professor when Gödel is not?".

[MoiLiberty]

Today, while watching the Limits of knowledge, I discovered Kurt Gödel.

The man should be known by all western civilization.

I think he has been swept under the rug of scientism.

[brendanchamberlain]

Great work as always. A sad ending for Gödel... Starving to death is definitely towards the bottom of the list of ways I want to go.

[asdfgmnbvczxcv]

Gödel left in his papers a fourteen-point outline of his philosophical beliefs, that are dated around 1960. They show his deep belief in the rational structure of the world. Here are his 14 points:

The world is rational.
Human reason can, in principle, be developed more highly (through certain techniques).
There are systematic methods for the solution of all problems (also art, etc.).
There are other worlds and rational beings of a different and higher kind.
The world in which we live is not the only one in which we shall live or have lived.
There is incomparably more knowable a priori than is currently known.
The development of human thought since the Renaissance is thoroughly intelligible (durchaus einsichtige).
Reason in mankind will be developed in every direction.
Formal rights comprise a real science.
Materialism is false.
The higher beings are connected to the others by analogy, not by composition.
Concepts have an objective existence.
There is a scientific (exact) philosophy and theology, which deals with concepts of the highest abstractness; and this is also most highly fruitful for science.
Religions are, for the most part, bad– but religion is not.

[bawbtherevelator]

Thanks for your clarity. I'm an 83 y.o. "recovering math phobic." both fascinated and intimidated by Hofstadter's famous book. If I finish it and go further with Godel, you'll have done me an astonishing kindness.

[pablogonzalez]

He has a cool cameo in Oppenheimer (2023).

[NikolajKuntner]

Vienna calling. Thanks for the video. I've shared your video around a bit, if you don't mind.

[BLUEGENE]

he easily could of had a damaged heart, rheumatic fever and infection in general often spreads to the heart and causes valve damage and other kinds of damage. He easily could of had heart damage and indeed wasn't a hypochondriac on that point. Who ACTUALLY knows though, but there isn't zero reason to suspect heart damage.

As someone personally who has had heart damage from a "normal fever" type illness. It can happen, and it could of easily happened to him.

[asherwade]

In those days, a Privatdozent never got paid “from the university”. One with this qualification was allowed to post courses and interested students would sign-up, gather together and agree upon a set time to meet. It was at the prerogative of the students who attended {and anyone, like other faculty members & approved private citizens} to personally pay a ‘recommended’ sum of money or ‘’give what they could.”

BTW, for future reference (because I see this all the time by those who either do not know German or have never studies in Germany) the terms: Extraordinarius Professor does ‘not’ mean an ‘extraordinary’ {as in super brilliant, or Genius professor), rather, almost just the opposite, it means ‘’Adjunct or Assistant” professor. A Dozent is more of an ‘Instructor or adjunct’. An ‘Ordinarius Professor’ is a Full Professor, …and, btw, even in Germany today, to become a full professor {Ordinarius} one must *earn* the degree for this position, and that [so-called] ‘Professor’ degree is the ‘Habilitationschrift’ {Habilitation Thesis}, which only can be done ‘after’ a doctoral degree.

(( I wrote two doctoral dissertations at Hamburg University (1975-1980; then 1980-1983), the second one ‘in German.’ }}

[asherwade]

Sorry, Einstein was ‘ηενεr’ a member of Princeton’s Faculty.

[shashanks.k]

"essentially web-md him self" 😂

[rl]

Why didn't Godel just learn to prepare his own meals? He could have sourced his own food, asked his wife where she shopped and made his own food. The fact he didn't do that tells me that it was a bit more than being scared of being of being poisoned as Godel must have known he could die by starvation too. Plenty of people have been scared of being poisoned but they don't all starve themselves to death if one particular trusted person cannot make their food.

Godel seems to have trapped himself in his own logic prison when it came to eating food.

[philipgrobler]

I can’t help feeling the YouTube author missed a golden opportunity to title this video “An Incomplete History of Kurt Gödel”

[tonychinnery]

There is an inaccuracy in your presentation. For Godel's incompleteness theorem only applies to axiomatic systems that contain natural number theory, or Peano's axioms. Hilbert had already shown that Euclidean geometry was complete.

[Charlie-Em]

I'm always like "Kurt was a master philosopher..."

[moahmet]

Couldn't someone convince him that not eating will result in him dying and that is the same as getting poisoned?

[LYNNJACKY]

I know it says a very brief history... but you missed the line where his wife fought off the nazi thugs with an umbrella!

[sankalp]

The story of him eating food only by his wife is heartbreaking but the fact that he couldn't prepare his own food and relied on a woman to prepare his food shows how dangerous religion and faith can be for health.

[venkat]

Do you think he had autism or Asperger’s?

[michaelgonzalez]

Girdel knew water turn into drop this becoming vapor is the answer to his computation