This article bears on four topics: observational predicates and phenomenal properties, vagueness, strict finitism as a philosophy of mathematics, and the analysis of feasible computability. It is argued that reactions to strict finitism point towards a semantics for vague predicates in the form of nonstandard models of weak arithmetical theories of the sort originally introduced to characterize the notion of feasibility as understood in computational complexity theory. The approach described eschews the use of nonclassical logic and related devices like degrees (...) of truth or supervaluation. Like epistemic approaches to vagueness, it may thus be smoothly integrated with the use of classical model theory as widely employed in natural language semantics. But unlike epistemicism, the described approach fails to imply either the existence of sharp boundaries or the failure of tolerance for soritical predicates. Applications ofmeasurement theory(in the sense of Krantz, Luce, Suppes, & Tversky (1971)) to vagueness in the nonstandard setting are also explored. (shrink)

Computational complexity theory is a subfield of computer science originating in computability theory and the study of algorithms for solving practical mathematical problems. Amongst its aims is classifying problems by their degree of difficulty — i.e., how hard they are to solve computationally. This paper highlights the significance of complexity theory relative to questions traditionally asked by philosophers of mathematics while also attempting to isolate some new ones — e.g., about the notion of feasibility in mathematics, the $\mathbf{P} \neq \mathbf{NP}$ (...) problem and why it has proven hard to resolve, and the role of non-classical modes of computation and proof. (shrink)

ABSTRACT Vague concepts are represented by L-fuzzy sets. It is argued that any vague concept carries with it an approximate identity which is a fuzzy equivalence relation. The relation also fulfills the criterion of ? indiscernibility of Identicals ?, which is called ? saturatedness ? in this context. An application in knowledge representation is indicated.

People usually regard algorithms as more abstract than the programs that implement them. The natural way to formalize this idea is that algorithms are equivalence classes of programs with respect to a suitable equivalence relation. We argue that no such equivalence relation exists.

In this paper we introduce a theory of finite sets FST with a strong negation of the axiom of infinity asserting that every set is provably bijective with a natural number. We study in detail the role of the axioms of Power Set, Choice, Regularity in FST, pointing out the relative dependences or independences among them. FST is shown to be provably equivalent to a fragment of Alternative Set Theory. Furthermore, the introduction of FST is motivated in view of a (...) non-standard development. MSC: 03E30, 03E35. (shrink)

We consider extensions of Peano arithmetic suitable for doing some of nonstandard analysis, in which there is a predicate N(x) for an elementary initial segment, along with axiom schemes approximating ω 1 -saturation. We prove that such systems have the same proof-theoretic strength as their natural analogues in second order arithmetic. We close by presenting an even stronger extension of Peano arithmetic, which is equivalent to ZF for arithmetic statements.

In this paper we investigate Boolean algebras and their subalgebras in Alternative Set Theory . We show that any two countable atomless Boolean algebras are isomorphic and we give an example of such a Boolean algebra. One other main result is, that there is an infinite Boolean algebra freely generated by a set. At the end of the paper we show that the sentence “There is no non-trivial free group which is a set” is consistent with AST.

We introduce a nonstandard arithmetic $NQA^-$ based on the theory developed by R. Chuaqui and P. Suppes in [2] (we will denote it by $NQA^+$ ), with a weakened external open minimization schema. A finitary consistency proof for $NQA^-$ formalizable in PRA is presented. We also show interesting facts about the strength of the theories $NQA^-$ and $NQA^+$ ; $NQA^-$ is mutually interpretable with $I\Delta_0 + EXP$ , and on the other hand, $NQA^+$ interprets the theories IΣ1 and $WKL_0$.

We give a sufficient condition for a countable model M of PA to be expandable to an ω-model of AST with absolute Ω-orderings. The condition is in terms of saturation schemes or, equivalently, in terms of the ability of the model to code sequences which have some kind of definition in (M, ω). We also show that a weaker scheme of saturation leads to the existence of wellorderings of the model with nice properties. Finally, we answer affirmatively the question of (...) whether the intersection of all β-expansions of a β-expandable model M is the set RA(M, ω)--the ramified analytical hierarchy over (M, ω). The results are based on forcing constructions. (shrink)

We investigate the interactions of formula complexity in weak set theories with the axioms available there. In particular, we show that swapping bounded and unbounded quantification preserves formula complexity in presence of the axiom of foundation weakened to an arbitrary set base, while it does not if the axiom of foundation is further weakened to a proper class base. More attention is being paid to the necessary axioms employed in the positive results, than to the combinatorial strength of the positive (...) results themselves. (shrink)

We present the axioms of Alternative Set Theory in the language of second-order arithmetic and study its ω- and β-models. These are expansions of the form , M ⊆ P, of nonstandard models M of Peano arithmetic such that ⊩ AST and ω ϵ M. Our main results are: A countable M ⊩ PA is β-expandable iff there is a regular well-ordering for M. Every countable β-model can be elementarily extended to an ω-model which is not a β-model. The Ω-orderings (...) of an ω-model are absolute well-orderings iff the standard system SS of M is a β-model of A−2. There are ω-expandable models M such that no ω-expansion of M contains absolute Ω-orderings. There are s-expandable models which are not β-expandable. For every countable β-expansion M of M, there is a generic extension M[G] which is also a β-expansion of M. If M is countable and β-expandable, then there are regular orderings <1, <2 such that neither <1 belongs to the ramified analytical hierarchy of the structure , nor <2 to that of . The result can be improved as follows: A countable M ⊩ PA is β-expandable iff there is a semi-regular well-ordering for M. (shrink)

We define and investigate constructibility in higher order arithmetics. In particular we get an interpretation ofn-order arithmetic inn-order arithmetic without the scheme of choice such that ∈ and the property “to be a well-ordering” are absolute in it and such that this interpretation is minimal among such interpretations.

This is an article whose intended scope is to deal with the question of infinity in formal mathematics, mainly in the context of the theory of large cardinals as it has developed over time since Cantor’s introduction of the theory of transfinite numbers in the late nineteenth century. A special focus has been given to this theory’s interrelation with the forcing theory, introduced by P. Cohen in his lectures of 1963 and further extended and deepened since then, which leads to (...) a development and further refinement of the theory of large cardinals ultimately touching, especially in view of the discussion in the last section, on the metatheoretical nature of infinity. The whole undertaking, which takes into account major stages of the research in large cardinals theory, tries to present a defensible argumentation against an ontology of infinity actually rooted in the notion of subjectivity within the world. This means that rather than talking of a general ontology of infinity in the ideal platonic or in the aristotelian sense of potentiality, even in the alternative sense of an ontology of the event in A. Badiou’s sense, one can argue from a subjective point of view about the impossibility of defining cardinalities greater than the first uncountable one \ that would correspond to a distinct existence in real world terms or would be supported by a mathematical intuition in terms of reciprocity with experience. The argumentation from the particular standpoint includes also certain comments on the delimitative character of Gödel’s constructive universe L and the influence of the constructive approach in narrowing the breadth of an ‘ontology’ of infinity. (shrink)

We show an axiom A such that there is no nontrivial interpretation of the alternative set theory (AST) inAST+A keeping ∈, sets and the class of all “standard” natural numbers. Furthermore, there is no interpretation ofAST inAST without the prolongation axiom, but there is an interpretation ofAST in the theory having the prolongation axiom and the basic set-theoretical axioms only.

Proceeding in the theory with extensionality, comprehension for classes, existence of the empty set and the assumption the addition of one element to a set makes again a set we show a week assumption which guarantees existence of a saturated elementary extension of the system of hereditarily finite sets.