Is the dream solution of the continuum hypothesis attainable? (Q2345395)

The author makes the statement, that any new mathematical principle which seems to be universally accepted and which can settle the continuum hypothesis will be rejected by the set-theoretic community as violating our extensive knowledge of both mathematical worlds -- those satisfying CH and those satisfying {\textbf{not}} CH. Two of the given examples supporting this statement are Freiling's axiom of symmetry and the so called Power Set Axiom (PSA). Freiling's axiom of symmetry was introduced as a ``simple philosophical `proof' of the negation of Cantor's continuum hypothesis'' [\textit{C. Freiling}, J. Symb. Log. 51, 190--200 (1986; Zbl 0619.03035)]. However, three decades later as stated by the author of the paper under review, this axiom can be viewed as a simple restatement of {\textbf{not}} CH. PSA is the intuitively clear statement that smaller sets have smaller number of subsets, a principle appealing to most mathematicians. However, our extensive set-theoretic knowledge of models in which PSA fails (for example models of MA in which \(2^\omega=2^\kappa\) for all \(\kappa<2^\omega\), or Cohen's original model of {\textbf{not}} CH in which \(2^\omega=2^{\omega_1}\)) prevents us from accepting PSA as a new axiom. Therefore as concluded in the paper, a solution of the continuum hypothesis via the discovery of a new fundamental principle of set theory is simply unattainable.