David Hilbert was ahead of his time, able to recognize the value of Emmy Noether, the mother of abstract algebra, assert her worth over his condescending university colleagues, and play a fundamental role in the development of modern science. His work encompasses almost all the research projects that, led by figures such as Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Gödel, and Turing, would usher in a new era. In this fascinating essay, Georg von Wallwitz rescues from oblivion the most prestigious mathematician of the first half of the 20th century, who paved the way for the great scientists of our time, and shows us that there is also life in the world of ideas, and that going beyond the limits imposed by objective reality can be a fabulous experience.