[HM] Bill Everdell's letter

Abe Shenitzer (shenitze@pascal.math.yorku.ca)
Thu, 6 Aug 1998 17:39:30 -0400

Apropos of the sentence "Number...a priori", credited to Kronecker.

Gauss' letter to Bessel, dated 9 April 1830, contains the sentence: "Wir
muessen in Demut zugeben, dass wenn die Zahl bloss unseres Geistes Produkt ist,
der Raum auch ausser unserm Geiste eine Realitaet hat, der wir a priori ihre
Gesetze nicht vollstaendig vorschreiben koennen. (See, e.g., O.Becker,
"Grundlagen der Mathematik", p.179.) Apart from the reference to time, the
sentence is obviously Gauss', NOT Kronecker's.

Apropos of the Kronecker dictum "God...

Item #1634 of R.E.Moritz "Memorabilia Mathematica" gives the "God made..."
quote, credits it to Kronecker, and gives as source Jahresberichte der DMV,
Bd.2, S.19.
Item #1635 quotes F.Klein: "Plato said "...The`os..." Jacobi changed this to
"...The`os...". Then came Kronecker and created the memorable expression "Die
ganzen Zahlen...Menschenwerk", and gives as source Jahresberichte der DMV,
Bd.6, S.136.

Abe Shenitzer