Rockefeller and the internationalization of mathematics between two world wars

Auteurs

• Reinhard Siegmund Schultze

Paramètres

• 355 pages
• 13 heures de lecture

• Mathématiques

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Philanthropies funded by the Rockefeller family played a significant role in the social history of the twentieth century, particularly in medicine and applied science. This book presents the first detailed study of their influential involvement in mathematics. It highlights how the careers of modern mathematical pioneers, such as S. Banach, B. L. van der Waerden, and André Weil, were shaped by their fellowship with the Rockefeller-funded International Education Board in the 1920s. Rockefeller funds facilitated the establishment of the Mathematical Institute in Göttingen (1926-1929) to foster cooperation between physics and mathematics. Additionally, the rise of probability and mathematical statistics was significantly influenced by the creation of the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris through American philanthropy. The account examines documented evaluations behind these philanthropic efforts, shedding light on pivotal events in 20th-century mathematics and physics while analyzing the comparative developments of the field in Europe and the United States. Several documents are included to illustrate the shift of the center of world mathematics to the USA, particularly following the Nazi purge of German mathematics after 1933. The historical and political context involves competition and cooperation among European nations and the USA post-World War I, along with the impact of the Nazi regime. The ideological positions of philanth

Achat du livre

• Année de publication: 2001