Collected Works Volume III: Unpublished Essays and Lectures

Kurt Godel (1906-1978) was the most outstanding logician of the twentieth century, famous for his hallmark works on the completeness of logic, the incompleteness of number theory and stronger systems, and the consistency of the axiom of choice and the continuum hypothesis. He is also notedfor his work on constructivity, the decision problem, the foundations of computation theory, unusual cosmological models, and for the strong individuality of his writings on the philosophy of mathematics. The Collected Works is a landmark resource that draws together a lifetime of creativeaccomplishment. The first two volumes were devoted to Godel's publications in full (both in the original and translation). This third volume features a wide selection of unpublished articles and lecture texts found in Godel's Nachlass, documents that enlarge considerably our appreciation of hisscientific and philosophical thought and add a great deal to our understanding of his motivations. Continuing the format of the earlier volumes, the present volume includes introductory notes that provide extensive explanatory and historical commentary on each of the papers, English translations ofmaterial originally written in German (some transcribed from Gabelsberger shorthand), and a complete bibliography. A succeeding volume is to contain a comprehensive selection of Godel's scientific correspondence and a complete inventory of his Nachlass. The books are designed to be accessible anduseful to as wide an audience as possible without sacrificing scientific or historical accuracy. The only complete edition available in English, it will be an essential part of the working library of professionals and students in logic, mathematics, philosophy, history of science, and computerscience.