- Etymology
- From Latin fōrma "form" + -ism. Doctrine of form.
- Stem form
- From Latin fōrma. "Form, shape."
- Suffix -ism
- Forming nouns. "Doctrine, theory, or practice of."
- Origin
- D. Hilbert. Early 20th century.
- Main proponent(s)
- D. Hilbert
- Structural characteristic
- Consistency of syntax (rules)
- Meaning
- The essence of mathematics lies in "form"—the manipulation of meaningless symbols according to fixed rules.
- Earliest use
- Hilbert program. Early 20th century.
- Definition
- The doctrine that the essence of mathematics lies in "form"—the manipulation of meaningless symbols according to fixed rules. Consistency of syntax (rules).