Where Did Combinators Come From? Hunting the Story of Moses Sch\"onfinkel

Abstract

Combinators were a key idea in the development of mathematical logic and the emergence of the concept of universal computation. They were introduced on December 7, 1920, by Moses Sch\"onfinkel. This is an exploration of the personal story and intellectual context of Moses Sch\"onfinkel, including extensive new research based on primary sources.