Computation, Proof, Machine

Computation is revolutionizing our world, even the inner world of the 'pure' mathematician. Mathematical methods - especially the notion of proof - that have their roots in classical antiquity have seen a radical transformation since the 1970s, as successive advances have challenged the priority of reason over computation. Like many revolutions, this one comes from within. Computation, calculation, algorithms - all have played an important role in mathematical progress from the beginning - but behind the scenes, their contribution was obscured in the enduring mathematical literature. To understand the future of mathematics, this fascinating book returns to its past, tracing the hidden history that follows the thread of computation. Along the way it invites us to reconsider the dialog between mathematics and the natural sciences, as well as the relationship between mathematics and computer science. It also sheds new light on philosophical concepts, such as the notions of analytic and synthetic judgment. Finally, it brings us to the brink of the new age, in which machine intelligence offers new ways of solving mathematical problems previously inaccessible. This book is the 2007 winner of the Grand Prix de Philosophie de l'Academie Francaise. "An engaging study of the history of computing told from a distinctive perspective. Gilles Dowek examines the traditional axiomatic conception of mathematical proof and argues that the advent of computer-assisted proofs (for example the Appel-Haken proof of the four color theorem, the proof of Hale's theorem) and the recent development of the proofs-as-programs idea together lead the way to a new conception of proof, one in which computation rather than logical reasoning plays the dominant role. The result is an illuminating challenge to one of the firmest orthodoxies in the foundations of mathematics." Michael Detlefsen, University of Notre DamePart I. Ancient Origins: 1. From the prehistory to the Greeks; 2. Two thousand years of computation; Part II. The Age of Reason: 3. Predicate logic; 4. The decision problem; 5. Church's thesis; 6. Lambda-calculus; 7. Constructivity; 8. Constructive proofs and algorithms; Part III. Crisis of the Axiomatic Method: 9. Intuitionistic type theory; 10. Automated proof; 11. Automated proof checking; 12. News from the field; 13. Instruments; 14. The end of axioms?; 15. Conclusion: as we near the end of this mathematical voyage.