The Role of Paradoxes in the Evolution of Mathematics

Year of Award: 1995

Publication Information: The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 101, 1994, pp. 963-974

Summary: A discussion of some famous and important paradoxes and how they have influenced the development of mathematical ideas.

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About the Authors: (from the Notices of the AMS, Nov. 1995)

Israel Kleiner received his Ph.D. degree from McGill University, and since 1965 he has been on the faculty of York University, where he currently holds the rank of professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. In 1987 he received the Carl B. Allendoerfer Award for his article on the evolution of group theory; in1990 he was given the George Pólya Award for his article on the evolution of the function concept; and in1992 he was given the Allendoerfer Award for an article on rigor and proof in mathematics.

Nitsa Movshovitz-Hadar received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, where Leon Henkin served as her dissertation advisor. Since 1975 she has been on the faculty of the Department of Education at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, where she currently holds the rank of full professor.