Postmodern Analysis

Jürgen Jost

03/2013 · Springer Science & Business Media

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What is the title of this book intended to signify, what connotations is the adjective "Postmodern" meant to carry? A potential reader will surely pose this question. To answer it, I should describe what distinguishes the approach to analysis presented here from what has been called "Modern Analysis" by its protagonists. "Modern Analysis" as represented in the works of the Bour baki group or in the textbooks by Jean Dieudonne is characterized by its systematic and axiomatic treatment and by its drive towards a high level of abstraction. Given the tendency of many prior treatises on analysis to degen erate into a collection of rather unconnected tricks to solve special problems, this definitively represented a healthy achievement. In any case, for the de velopment of a consistent and powerful mathematical theory, it seems to be necessary to concentrate solelyon the internal problems and structures and to neglect the relations to other fields of scientific, even of mathematical study for a certain while. Almost complete isolation may be required to reach the level of intellectual elegance and perfection that only a good mathematical theory can acquire. However, once this level has been reached, it might be useful to open one's eyes again to the inspiration coming from concrete ex ternal problems.