William Lawvere
William Lawvere | |
|---|---|
Lawvere in Florence, 2003 | |
| Born | Francis William Lawvere February 9, 1937 Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 2023 (aged 85) |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Known for |
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| Awards | "Premio Giulio Preti", awarded by the Regional Council of Tuscany (2010) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Reed College, ETH Zurich, University of Chicago, CUNY Graduate Center, Dalhousie University, University of Perugia, SUNY-Buffalo |
| Doctoral advisor | Samuel Eilenberg |
Francis William Lawvere (/lɔːˈvɪər/; February 9, 1937 – January 23, 2023) was an American mathematician and philosopher known for his foundational work in category theory, topos theory, and the philosophy of mathematics. He introduced algebraic theories as categories, developed the Elementary Theory of the Category of Sets (ETCS) as an alternative foundation of mathematics, founded categorical logic and co-founded the field of topos theory. A central theme of his work was the search for a rigorous mathematical foundation for classical continuum mechanics and physics based on categorical methods.