most recent 30 from http://mathoverflow.net 2013-05-19T07:29:32Z http://mathoverflow.net/feeds/question/81389 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://mathoverflow.net/questions/81389/the-purview-or-scope-of-set-theory-qua-set-theory David Feldman 2011-11-20T01:06:23Z 2011-11-20T05:39:57Z

<p>Even though set theory purports to offer a foundation for all of mathematical practice, it would seem very odd to hear someone say, say, "I work in a narrow branch of set theory called partial differential equations."</p> <p>My question: how would a set theory expert in 2011 characterize the scope, or purview, or principal goals of his or her subject? I have particular interest in aspects of the answer that might differ from what an expert might have said perhaps 20 years ago.</p>