The Origin of Hilbert's Axiomatic Method

This chapter examines how Hilbert’s axiomatic approach gradually consolidated over the last decade of the nineteenth century. It goes on to explore the way this approach was actually manifest in its earlier implementations.
Although geometry was not Hilbert’s main area of interest before 1900, he did teach several courses on this topic back in Königsberg and then in Göttingen. His lecture notes allow an illuminating foray into the development of Hilbert’s ideas and they cast light on how his axiomatic views developed.