2015Notre Dame Journal of Formal LogicOpen access

Internal Categoricity in Arithmetic and Set Theory

Jouko Väänánen, Tong Wang

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Abstract

We show that the categoricity of second-order Peano axioms can be proved from the comprehension axioms. We also show that the categoricity of second-order Zermelo–Fraenkel axioms, given the order type of the ordinals, can be proved from the comprehension axioms. Thus these well-known categoricity results do not need the so-called “full” second-order logic, the Henkin second-order logic is enough. We also address the question of “consistency” of these axiom systems in the second-order sense, that is, the question of existence of models for these systems. In both cases we give a consistency proof, but naturally we have to assume more than the mere comprehension axioms.

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We show that the categoricity of second-order Peano axioms can be proved from the comprehension axioms. We also show that the categoricity of second-order Zermelo–Fraenkel axioms, given the order type of the ordinals, can be proved from the comprehension axioms. Thus these well-known categoricity results do not need the so-called “full” second-order logic, the Henkin second-order logic is enough. We also address the question of “consistency” of these axiom systems in the second-order sense, that is, the question of existence of models for these systems. In both cases we give a consistency proof, but naturally we have to assume more than the mere comprehension axioms.

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Available abstract

We show that the categoricity of second-order Peano axioms can be proved from the comprehension axioms. We also show that the categoricity of second-order Zermelo–Fraenkel axioms, given the order type of the ordinals, can be proved from the comprehension axioms. Thus these well-known categoricity results do not need the so-called “full” second-order logic, the Henkin second-order logic is enough. We also address the question of “consistency” of these axiom systems in the second-order sense, that is, the question of existence of models for these systems. In both cases we give a consistency proof, but naturally we have to assume more than the mere comprehension axioms.

Key concepts: Peano axioms, Axiom, Consistency (knowledge bases), Mathematics, Second-order arithmetic, Comprehension, Set theory, Set (abstract data type)

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