Exploring Felix Klein’s Contested Modernism

To participate online, click here.

One of the pleasures of history of mathematics is that it is often free from the jargon that one finds prevalent in much contemporary history of a broader sort.  The article about which I'll be speaking has five authors, one from Israel, three from Germany, and one from the United States, and is laden with more jargon than is necessary.     The number of directions in which the article sets off suggests that different contributors may have had different points they were trying to make.  The primary target is the Marxism of the historian Mehrtens, but another target is Frank Quinn.    Among the questions the authors hope to settle is whether Klein was antisemitic in behaviour or writings.  There is also the issue of whether Klein was countermodernist, while Hilbert was recognizably modernist.

It's clearly impossible to tackle all these matters in one talk, but I'll address a few of those that seem least dependent on jargon.   First, there's the issue of Klein's alleged antisemitism.   Then there's the question of whether a Marxist historian can address such issues without any historical bias.   Finally, there are the roles that Klein and Hilbert played in creating the Gottingen that was to fall victim to the Nazi view that only Deutschemathematik was worth pursuing.   There may be time to look at Quinn in the questions that follow the talk.  

When meeting in person we begin with informal conversation and a light supper (from 6:00 PM, if desired; donation $10). At about 6:30 PM or a few minutes later (for remote participants) the talk will begin. In person attendees will need to present the parking pass, included as an attachment to this email, at the Villanova University Main Entrance gate on Ithan Avenue and proceed to parking lot M2, Saint Augustine Center; this is the me lot used for past meetings.  

Please see the attached Campus Map for details or consult the PASHOM website for detailed Google map direction links to campus and the Mendel Science Center and the optional main Villanova parking garage as well as information for arrival by train.