[FOM] Alleged quote from Hilbert (Martin Davis)

[John Corcoran]

REVIEW: Reid, Constance, Hilbert (a biography).  In Philosophy of
Science 39 (1972) 106-08.
The Goldstein quote is implausible, to say the least, as I show in the
review cited. I will be glad to send it in PDF to anyone who requests
it. It is also available on JSTOR.

- 




	Mathematics is a game played according to certain simple rules
with 
meaningless marks 	on paper.

I would appreciate any information about this quotation about which I'm 
dubious. Goldstein's source is: John de Pillis & Nick Rose,
"Mathematical 
Maxims and Minims" (Raleigh, NC 1988).
I've been unable to locate this book: it's listed neither in the unified
U 
of Calif library catalog, nor in NYPL, nor (the ultimate authority) on
Amazon.

Thanks to all,
Martin