Georg Cantor: The Personal Matrix of His Mathematics

H ISTORIANS OF MATHEMATICS are generally accustomed to discussing ideas rather than individuals. A mathematician's personal life and his mathematics are frequently regarded as wholly separate, the former providing human interest while the latter comprises the heart of the matter. But the analysis of personality, in particular that of creative individuals, can reveal a great deal about the nature of discovery. In Georg Cantor's case this is especially true. If one were to consult only the published record of his research, the factors influencing his discovery, development, and subsequent defense of set theory and the transfinite numbers would remain obscure. At best, one could only hope for a partial, and probably inaccurate, view of what Cantor accomplished. Why should he have been the mathematician most likely to defend transfinite set theory, despite tremendous opposition, not only from mathematicians, but from philosophers and theologians as well? How did his character and scientific temperament shape the earliest, development of set theory? Satisfying answers to such questions cannot be expected without going beyond the record of Cantor's printed papers. Some hints can be found in letters and in the memoirs and reminiscences of those who knew him. But without surveying the larger context of Cantor's family history, including details of his personal and medical history, it is impossible to