ABSTRACT
The limitations inherent in the use of models for establishing consistency, and the growing apprehension that the standard formulations of many mathematical systems might all harbor internal contradictions, led to new attacks upon the problem. An alternative to relative proofs of consistency was proposed by Hilbert. He sought to construct “absolute” proofs, by which the consistency of systems could be established without assuming the consistency of some other system. We must briefly explain this approach as a further preparation for understanding Gödel's achievement.
