This theory is also flawed. The axiomatic method asks us to write down finite lists of set-theoretic definitions and axioms and to deduce theorems in a finite number of steps. But if we do this with an infinite set, such as the natural numbers, Gödel showed that there are theorems that must be true but which cannot be proven in a finite number of steps. Essentially, there will always be “too many theorems” to prove. Thus the existence of a systematic body of formal mathematical knowledge is not the final quest in mathematics, although it does offer a vital foundation upon which even more sophisticated ideas can be built.