ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS

On Gödel's Philosophy of Mathematics

by

Harold Ravitch

Master of Arts in Philosophy

University of California, Los Angeles, 1968

Professor Alonzo Church, Chairman

An attempt is made to explicate and analyze Kurt Gödel's philosophy of mathematics with emphasis on his defense of classical mathematics, and his rejection of intuitionism, and the vicious circle principle. Gödel's belief in the real existence of mathematical objects is examined. It is argued that one need not accept Gödel's pronounced realism in order to assent to his methodology of mathematics.