.png){kind=small}
Stephen Cole Kleene was an American mathematician born on January 5, 1909. He is known for his contributions to mathematical logic and the theory of computability. Kleene's work laid the foundation for the development of computer science and the understanding of the limits of computation. His research on recursive functions and the Kleene hierarchy has had a lasting impact on the field of theoretical computer science. Kleene's contributions to mathematics have been recognized through numerous awards and honors, and he is remembered as a pioneer in the field of computability theory.
"I read one or two other books which gave me a background in mathematics other than logic."
1
"As I say, there was this movement to try to bring philosophers and mathematicians together into an organization where they would talk to each other. An organization wasn't effective unless you had a journal. That's about all I know."
"I had some hesitations about philosophy because, if you worked out a philosophical theory, it was hard to know whether you were going to be able to prove it or whether other theories had just as good a claim on belief."
"I went to Princeton from Amherst, where I split my interests between mathematics and philosophy."
"And what I learned in Church's course. He trained us intensively in his new system, which he was just developing. Two papers were presented. I think the second paper wasn't published until well after the course was finished."
"I don't think Post often came to Princeton during the '30s. I can't remember ever seeing him in Princeton."
1
"I had a liberal arts education at Amherst College where I had two majors, mathematics and philosophy."
4
"For example, the philosophers who were interested in logic were probably rather logical for mathematicians. But the ASL got us together, so we could talk to each other and publish in the same journal."
1
"Here at Wisconsin we didn't get an undergraduate course in mathematical logic until the '60s."
2
"When I got to Princeton I made a point of attending the Philosophy Club and listening to the lectures, but I didn't get involved in any discussions in those clubs. I guess after the first year, I dropped that."
"The job in Wisconsin was the first genuine offer of an academic job in a university which I received."