Abstract
This paper contains five observations concerning the intended meaning of the intuitionistic logical constants: (1) if the explanations of this meaning are to be based on a non-decidable concept, that concept should not be that of `proof"; (2) Kreisel"s explanations using extra clauses can be significantly simplified; (3) the impredicativity of the definition of → can be easily and safely ameliorated; (4) the definition of → in terms of `proofs from premises" results in a loss of the inductive character of the definitions of ∨ and ∃ and (5) the same occurs with the definition of ∀ in terms of `proofs with free variables".
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Bridges, D. S. and Richman, R. (1987): Varieties of Constructive Mathematics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Brouwer, L. E. J. (1927): Ñber Definitionsbereiche von Funktionen, Math. Ann. 97, 60–75. English extract in J. van Heijenoort (ed.), From Frege to Gödel: A Source Book in Mathematical Logic, 1897–1931, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1967, pp. 457–463.
van Dalen, D. (1973): Lectures on intuitionism, in A. R. D. Mathias and H. Rogers (eds.), Cambridge Summer School of Mathematical Logic, Springer, Berlin, pp. 1–94.
van Dalen, D. (1983): Logic and Structure, 2nd. rev. edn, Springer, Berlin.
van Dalen, D. (1986): Intuitionistic logic, in D. Gabbay and F. Guenthner (eds.), Handbook of Philosophical Logic, Vol. III, Reidel, Dordrecht, pp. 225–339.
Dummett, M. A. E., with the assistance of R. Minio (1977): Elements of Intuitionism, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Gentzen, G. (1935): Untersuchungen über das logische Schliessen (I, II), Math. Z. 39, 176–210. Quoted by the English version in the Collected Papers, ed. by M. E. Szabo, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1969, pp. 69–131.
Heyting, A. (1934): Mathematische Grundlagenforschung: Intuitionism, Beweistheorie, Springer, Berlin. Quoted by the French expanded edition, Les Fondements des Mathématiques. Intuitionnisme. Théorie de la Démonstration, Gauthier-Villars, Paris, 1955.
Heyting, A. (1956): Intuitionism: An Introduction, North-Holland, Amsterdam.
Kolmogorov, A. N. (1932): Zur Deutung der intuitionistischen Logik, Math. Z. 35, 58–65.
Kreisel, G. (1961): Set-theoretical problems suggested by the notion of potential totality, in Infinitistic Methods: Proceedings of the Symposium of Foundations of Mathematics, Warsaw, 2–9 September 1959, Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp. 103–140.
Kreisel, G. (1962): Foundations of intuitionistic logic, in E. Nagel, P. Suppes and A. Tarski (eds.), Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, Vol. I, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, pp. 198–210.
Kreisel, G. (1965): Mathematical logic, in T. L. Saaty (ed.), Lectures on Modern Mathematics, Vol. III, Wiley, New York, pp. 95–195.
Kreisel, G. (1970): Church's thesis: A kind of reducibility axiom for constructive mathematics, in J. Myhill, A. Kino and R. E. Vesley (eds.), Intuitionism and Proof Theory, North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp. 121–150.
Martin-Löf, P. (1984): Intuitionistic Type Theory: Notes by Giovanni Sambin of a Series of Lectures Given in Padova, June 1980, Bibliopolis, Naples.
Martin-Löf, P. (1985): On the meanings of the logical constants and the justifications of the logical laws, in Atti degli Incontri di Lò gica Matemàtica, Vol. II, Scuola di Specializzazione in Lò gica Matemàtica, Dipartimento di Matemàtica, Università di Siena, pp. 203–281. Quoted by the reprint in Nordic Journal of Philosophical Logic 1 (1996), 11–60.
Martin-Löf, P. (1987): Truth of a proposition, evidence of a judgement, validity of a proof, Synthese 73, 407–420.
Martin-Löf, P. (1994): Analytic and synthetic judgements in type theory, in P. Parrini (ed.), Kant and Contemporary Epistemology, Kluwer Acad. Publ., Dordrecht, pp. 87–99.
Nordström, B., Petersson, K. and Smith, J. M. (1990): Programming in Martin-Löf's Type Theory: An Introduction, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Prawitz, D. (1977): Meaning and proofs: on the conflict between classical and intuitionistic logic, Theoria 43, 1–40.
Sundholm, G. (1983): Constructions, proofs and the meaning of the logical constants, J. Philos. Logic 12, 151–172.
Sundholm, G. (1986): Proof theory and meaning, in D. Gabbay and F. Guenthner (eds.), Handbook of Philosophical Logic, Vol. III, Reidel, Dordrecht, pp. 471–506.
Sundholm, G. (1994): Vestiges of realism, in B. McGuiness and G. Oliveri (eds.), The Philosophy of Michael Dummett, Kluwer Acad. Publ., Dordrecht, pp. 137–165.
Troelstra, A. S. (1969): Principles of Intuitionism, Springer, Berlin.
Troelstra, A. S. (1977): Aspects of constructive mathematics, in K. J. Barwise (ed.), Handbook of Mathematical Logic, North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp. 973–1052.
Troelstra, A. S. and D. van Dalen (1988): Constructivism in Mathematics: An Introduction, Vol. I, North-Holland, Amsterdam.
Weinstein, S. (1983): The intended interpretation of intuitionistic logic, J. Philos. Logic 12, 57–82.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Díez, G.F. Five Observations Concerning the Intended Meaning of the Intuitionistic Logical Constants. Journal of Philosophical Logic 29, 409–424 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004881914911
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004881914911