Logic Seminar
Andrew Arana
Kansas State
The preference for "pure" proofs
Abstract: Over the years many mathematicians have voiced a preference for proofs
that stay "close" to the theorems being proved, avoiding "foreign",
"extraneous", or "remote" considerations. Such proofs have come to be
known as "pure". Examples abound, in geometry and number theory for
instance, and indeed one can see the Gödel phenomenon as an example as
well. In thinking about this preference two main questions arise: how
exactly can what is "foreign" to a statement be measured; and what reasons
are there for preferring pure proofs of a statement over impure proofs of
that same statement. In this talk we address both of these questions,
focusing on the first and indicating ways in which model theory bears on
its study.
This talk is part of Midwest Model Theory Day.
Tuesday October 26, 2010 at 1:00 PM in SEO 636