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Saunders Mac Lane was an extraordinary mathematician, a dedicated teacher, and a good citizen who cared deeply about the values of science and education. In his autobiography, he gives us a glimpse of his "life and times," mixing the highly personal with professional observations. His recollections bring to life a century of extraordinary accomplishments and tragedies that inspire and educate. Saunders Mac Lane's life covers nearly a century of mathematical developments. During the earlier part of the twentieth century, he participated in the exciting happenings in Göttingen---the Mecca of mathematics. He studied under David Hilbert, Hermann Weyl, and Paul Bernays and witnessed the collapse of a great tradition under the political pressure of a brutal dictatorship. Later, he contributed to the more abstract and general mathematical viewpoints developed in the twentieth century. Perhaps the most outstanding accomplishment during his long and extraordinary career was the development of the concept of categories, together with Samuel Eilenberg, and the creation of a theory that has broad applications in different areas of mathematics, in particular topology and foundations. He was also a keen observer and active participant in the social and political events. As a member and vice president of the National Academy of Science and an advisor to the Administration, he exerted considerable influence on science and education policies in the post-war period. Mac Lane's autobiography takes the reader on a journey through the most important milestones of the mathematical world in the twentieth century.
List of contents
Preface, Acknowledgments, Part One: Early Years, Part Two: First Teaching, Part Three: Collaborative Research, Part Four: The War Years, Part Five: Eilenberg and Mac Lane, Part Six: Harvard Years, Part Seven: Chicago in the Fifties, Part Eight: Mathematical Developments, Part Nine: National Academy of Science, Part Ten: The Sixties and Beyond, Part Eleven: National Science Policy, Part Twelve: Travels, Part Thirteen: Advising, Part Fourteen: Later Developments, Part Fifteen: Contemplating, Index
About the author
Mac Lane, Saunders
Summary
This autobiography of Saunders Mac Lane, an extraordinary mathematician, takes the reader on a journey through the most important milestones of the mathematical world in the twentieth century.
