Introduction

1-9

Late nineteenth century background

11-81

Axiomatization in Hilbert's early career

83-118

The axiomatic method in action

1900–1905

119-184

Minkowski and relativity

1907–1909

185-225

From mechanical to electromagnetic reductionism

1910–1914

227-285

Einstein and Mie

two pillars of Hilbert's unified theory

287-316

Foundations of physics

1915–1916

Hervé Zwirn

317-362

Hilbert and GTR

1916–1918

363-407

Epilogue

Herbert Spiegelberg

409-443