Monday, September 09, 2002

Review of Paul Halmos' Naive Set Theory

Paul Halmos' Naive Set Theory is a classic in mathematics. Anyone who does any mathematics seriously should be familiar with the book. It outlines the basic results in set theory and the proofs for the major theorems. It is indispensable background knowledge for almost anything in pure mathematics.

Like most full-fledged mathematics books it is slow reading, but not impossibly so. He is remarkably clear, with manageable chapters. It is well suited for a course or to teach yourself the basics. I highly recommend it for the serious student of math or philosophy, or for someone who wants to understand the modern foundations of mathematics.