Patrick Girard (U Auckland): "The Frog and Mouse Battle: Logic, Politics and Justice"
Montreal Inter-University Workshop on the History and Philosophy of Mathematics
"The Frog and Mouse Battle: Logic, Politics and Justice"
Patrick Girard (U Auckland)
Friday, September 12, 2025
3:30-5:00 PM
Leacock Room 927
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Abstract:ÌýThe 1920s saw the rise of modern logic: Hilbert’s formalist programme, Gödel’s theorems, and Brouwer’s intuitionism offered competing visions for the foundations of mathematics. At the centre was a clash between Hilbert and Brouwer over the law of excluded middle—a dispute that turned political in the wake of WW I. It ended with Hilbert expelling Brouwer from the Mathematische Annalen, prompting high-profile resignations, including Einstein’s. While the episode had political dimensions, it also reveals a form of epistemic injustice that is logical in nature. Drawing on my recent work in logic, I’ll offer a fresh analysis of the logical injustice at the heart of the coup that ultimately ended Brouwer’s career.
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