Descriptions in mathematical logic

DOI10.1007/BF02429843MaRDI QIDQ1071018zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Gerard R. Renardel de Lavalette

Publication date 1984

Published in Studia Logica (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02429843

zbMATH Keywords

descriptorScott's E-logictheories with function variables and quantification

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Relative consistency and interpretations (03F25) Metamathematics of constructive systems (03F50)

Review text

If A(x) is a predicate satisfied by exactly one x, then we write Ix.A(x) for that object x. The operator I is called a descriptor. The author reviews the various treatments of descriptors in the literature, pointing out that the problem each treatment faces is what to do with Ix.A(x) when \(\exists !xA(x)\) is not (yet) known. The obvious answer is that it is undefined. The technical contribution of the paper is to show that this obvious answer can be formalized. The author bases his formalization on Scott's E-logic, and shows that partial descriptors can be added to such a theory conservatively. In a final section, he considers theories with function variables and quantification. In that case descriptors are not conservative, since they yield axioms of choice; but he shows that is all they yield. The paper is very clearly written and to the point.

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Cites work

• Axiomatic set theory. With a historical introduction by Abraham A. Fraenkel
• Formalized recursive functionals and formalized realizability
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3650529 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3484001 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3503198 (Why is no real title available?)
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3934996 (Why is no real title available?)
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