David Hilbert and the foundations of the theory of plane area

This paper provides a detailed study of David Hilbert’s axiomatization of the theory of plane area, in the classical monograph Foundation of Geometry (1899). On the one hand, we offer a precise contextualization of this theory by considering it against its nineteenth-century geometrical background....

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Giovannini, Eduardo Nicolás
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/172642
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/172642
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:AXIOMATIC GEOMETRY
DE ZOLT’S POSTULATE
HILBERT
POLYGONAL AREA
PURITY OF THE METHOD
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6
Descripción
Sumario:This paper provides a detailed study of David Hilbert’s axiomatization of the theory of plane area, in the classical monograph Foundation of Geometry (1899). On the one hand, we offer a precise contextualization of this theory by considering it against its nineteenth-century geometrical background. Specifically, we examine some crucial steps in the emergence of the modern theory of geometrical equivalence. On the other hand, we analyze from a more conceptual perspective the significance of Hilbert’s theory of area for the foundational program pursued in Foundations. We argue that this theory played a fundamental role in the general attempt to provide a new independent basis for Euclidean geometry. Furthermore, we contend that our examination proves relevant for understanding the requirement of “purity of the method” in the tradition of modern synthetic geometry.