Philosophical aspects of proof theory

Dag Prawitz

pp. 235-277

in: Guttorm Fløistad, Georg H. Von Wright (eds), Philosophie du langage, logique philosophique / Philosophy of language, philosophical logic, Berlin, Springer, 1981

Abstract

The term proof theory, in German Beweistheorie, was introduced by Hilbert [1] in 1922 as the name of a subject which he had already described in a lecture [2] in 1917 as "an important, new field of research" where "we must make the concept of specific mathematical proof itself object of investigation, just as also the astronomer pays attention to his place of observation, the physicist must care about the theory of his instrument, and the philosopher criticizes reason itself".