Edward Nelson

Edward Nelson (May 4, 1932 – September 10, 2014) was a professor in the Mathematics Department at Princeton University. He was known for his work on mathematical physics and mathematical logic.

Quotes

 * The subject matter of mathematics is the expressions themselves together with the rules for manipulating them—nothing more.
 * Intellectual property is an oxymoron.
 * Intellectual property is an oxymoron.

Quotes about Nelson

 * Nelson rejected the prevailing views to the effect that nonstandard analysis operates with some fictional elements that extend the standard world of mathematical entities. In his approach, nonstandard objects inhabit the realm of the most ordinary mathematical objects. Nelson emphasized the creative syntactic contribution of the new approach in the following terms: “Really new in nonstandard analysis are not theorems but the notions, i.e., external predicates.” (Nelson 1988 ...)
 * Mikhail G. Katz and Semen S. Kutateladze:  arXiv preprint