nLab Ernst Specker

Ernst Specker (1920-2011) was a Swiss mathematician. He was professor of mathematics at ETH Zürich from 1955-1987.

His approach to set theory proved instrumental for the topos-theoretic approach to set theory.

• Wikipedia entry

• Detailed biography

• E. Engeler, N. Hungerbühler, J. A. Makowsky, Rembering Ernst Specker (1920-2011) , Elem. Math. 67 (2012) pp.1 – 27. (pdf)

Selected writings:

On axiomatic set theory:

• E. Specker, Zur Axiomatik der Mengenlehre (Fundierungs- und Auswahlaxiom) , Z. Math. Logik Grundlagen Math. 3 (1957) pp.173–210.

• E. Specker, Die Entwicklung der axiomatischen Mengenlehre , JBer. DMV 81 (1978) pp.13-21. (Jber. DMV, 6.21 MB)

Introducing the Kochen-Specker theorem:

• Simon Kochen, Ernst Specker, The problem of hidden variables in quantum mechanics, Journal of Mathematics and Mechanics 17 (1967) 59-87 [pdf, jstor:24902153, doi:10.1007/978-94-010-1795-4_17]

Related entries

• Kochen-Specker theorem

• elementary theory of the category of sets

• constructive mathematics

• Timeline of category theory and related mathematics

category: people