Guide to the Paul Hertz Papers, 1904-1994 ASP.1994.01
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Paul Hertz Papers
Creator
Hertz, Paul
Collection Number
ASP.1994.01
Extent
5.5 Linear Feet(12 Boxes)
Date
1904-1994
Date
1910-1940
Abstract
Paul Hertz, a German physicist and philosopher of science, made significant contributions to the foundations of mathematics and axiomatics and achieved important results for the foundations of mathematical logic. His investigations were the precursor to various later researches in this area. The papers consists of correspondence, biographical material, manuscripts, offprints, and books from his library. Hertz's correspondence numbers over 100 letters, many with prominent individuals like Max Abraham, Albert Einstein, Max Planck, H.A. Lorentz, and Moritz Schlick.
Language
The material in this collection is in German.
Author
Jaideep Gosh, revised by Brigitta Arden.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following four series:
Series I. Correspondence and Biographical Material
Series II. Offprints of Articles by Paul Hertz and Others
Series III. Manuscripts by Paul Hertz and Others
Series IV. Books from Paul Hertz's Library
Scope and Content Notes
The Paul Hertz Papers consist of correspondence, biographical material, manuscripts, offprints, and books from his library. Hertz's correspondence numbers over 100 letters, many with prominent individuals like Max Abraham, Albert Einstein, Max Planck, H.A. Lorentz, and Moritz Schlick. Biographical material testifies to the significance of Hertz's scientific achievements, their belated acknowledgment, and the intellectual milieu of his time. Included are an essay on Paul Hertz by his son Rudolf Hertz, a transcript of an oral history interview with Rudolf Hertz, and excerpts of published material relating to Paul Hertz's life and work. An extensive collection of offprints illustrates his interest in the work of others; annotations and dedications on some items reflect with whom Hertz exchanged ideas. The manuscript material comprises numerous, but mostly unpublished, writings from different stages of Hertz's intellectual development. Present are essays, notes, and drafts of papers, the titles of which range from "Vom Wesen der Logik" and "Über Identität" to "Kritische Bemerkungen zu Reichenbachs Behandlung des Humeschen Problems." There are also many untitled, incomplete writings in the collection and some handwritten pieces by Paul Ehrenfest that are likely unpublished. About 30 books from Hertz's library are present, some of them lightly annotated, including his own publications and others.
Please note that most of the documents are photocopies of originals that were provided by Paul Hertz's son, Rudolf Hertz.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Rudolf Hertz, son of Paul Hertz, in 1994.
Previous Citation
Paul Hertz Papers, 1904-1994, ASP.1994.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
Paul Hertz Papers, 1904-1994, ASP.1994.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Copyright
Property rights reside with the University of Pittsburgh. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Special Collections Department.
Processing Information
The papers were processed by Jaideep Gosh in 1997 and revised by Brigitta Arden in 2013. Please note that there are a total of 12 document boxes although the numbering in the finding aid suggests only 4 boxes. This is due to the fact that during the initial processing box numbers were assigned across several document boxes at a time, (e.g. box 2 consists of 3 document boxes).
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Biography
Paul Hertz was born in 1881 in Hamburg, Germany. He studied mathematics and physics in Heidelberg, Göttingen, Leipzig, and then again in Göttingen, where he earned his PhD in 1904 as a student of Max Abraham. He earned his habilitation at Heidelberg in 1909, returned to Göttingen in 1912, and became a professor extraordinarius there in 1921.
Hertz began his scientific career as a theoretical physicist. Later he made significant contributions in the foundations of mathematics and in axiomatics. His approach to research was characterized by thorough treatment of conceptual issues and close analysis of methodological problems. He thus achieved results important for the foundations of mathematical logic, and his investigations were the precursor to various later researches in this area. Gerhard Gentzen's calculus of sequence in particular took as its starting point Hertz's observations about theorem systems.
Eventually his interests led Hertz to philosophical and broader logical questions. Political circumstances caused him to emigrate with his family to the United States, where he suffered an untimely death in 1940 while still engaged in his research. Paul Hertz was an important representative of the philosophy of science at a time when it received virtually no recognition in German-speaking countries.
Existence and Location of Originals
Most of the documents are photocopies of originals that were provided by Paul Hertz's son, Rudolf Hertz.
Reddit
Twitter
Facebook