The Atomic Human

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Principia Mathematica

Author: Bertrand Russell, Alfred North Whitehead

Year: 1910

Summary

Machine Summary

The Principia Mathematica represents a monumental attempt to derive all mathematical truths from purely logical principles. This three-volume work laid crucial foundations for mathematical logic and the philosophy of mathematics, though its ultimate goal of reducing mathematics to logic proved unattainable.

In The Atomic Human, this work appears in Chapter 5’s discussion of the development of mathematical logic and its influence on computing. The authors’ attempt to create a complete logical foundation for mathematics relates to later discussions about the limitations of purely logical approaches to artificial intelligence and human reasoning.