Understanding Intuitionism

• exposé

Understanding Intuitionism by Edward Nelson Department of Mathematics Princeton University Intuitionism was the creation of L. E. J. Brouwer [Br], and I like to think that classical mathematics was the creation of Pythagoras. Imag- ine a conversation between a classical mathematician and an intuitionist, say a woman and a man respectively. She speaks first: I have just proved ∃xA. Congratulations! What is it? I don't know. I assumed ∀x¬A and derived a contradiction.

• classical formulas
• equality axioms
• intuitionistic semantics
• substitution axiom schemes of the predicate calculus
• time to time for input
• proof
• rules
• 3 c.
• c.