Enriques and the popularisation of mathematics (Q2564031)

The study opens with a brief sketching of the flourishing beginning of the century, characterized by an enthusiastic attitude towards science, in general. Thus, in the field of mathematics, The International Congress of Mathematicians offered the chance of a brilliant exchange of ideas among the specialists. One of the reputable mathematicians of the time was Federigo Enriques, the author of a well-known and appreciated book, The problems of science (1906). As many of his colleagues, Enriques's view on the science of mathematics was many-sided, involving concepts of logic, psychology and even philosophy. As most of his contemporaries, Enriques felt that the advance recorded in mathematics since the ancient ages was mostly occurring in his time -- quite a reassuring feeling! He believed in a ``scale'' comprising several degrees of (possible) knowledge (which was wholly different from Kant's distinction between absolute knowledge and absolute ignorance). In short, Enriques's ideas represent an unexpected combination of concepts from modern science, traditional philosophy and contemporary philosophy. Mention is also made in the review of Josiah Royce, an important representative of the scientific community of those times.