In this article we show how the universe of BST, bounded set theory can be enlarged by definable subclasses of sets so that Separation and Replacement are true in the enlargement for all formulas, including those in which the standardness predicate may occur. Thus BST is strong enough to incorporate external sets in the internal universe in a way sufficient to develop topics in nonstandard analysis inaccessible in the framework of a purely internal approach, such as Loeb measures.

The separation, uniformization, and other properties of the Borel and projective hierarchies over hyperfinite sets are investigated and compared to the corresponding properties in classical descriptive set theory. The techniques used in this investigation also provide some results about countably determined sets and functions, as well as an improvement of an earlier theorem of Kunen and Miller.

A problem which enthusiasts of IST, Nelson's internal set theory, usually face is how to treat external sets in the internal universe which does not contain them directly. To solve this problem, we consider BST, bounded set theory, a modification of IST which is, briefly, a theory for the family of those IST sets which are members of standard sets. We show that BST is strong enough to incorporate external sets in the internal universe in a way sufficient to develop (...) the most advanced applications of nonstandard methods. In particular, we define in BST an enlargement of the BST universe which satisfies the axioms of HST, an external theory close to a theory introduced by Hrbaček. HST includes Replacement and Saturation for all formulas but contradicts the Power Set and Choice axioms, therefore to get an external universe which satisfies all of ZFC minus Regularity one has to pay by a restriction of Saturation. We prove that HST admits a system of subuniverses which model ZFC and Saturation in a form restricted by a fixed but arbitrary standard cardinal. Thus the proposed system of set theoretic foundations for nonstandard mathematics, based on the simple and natural axioms of the internal theory BST, provides the treatment of external sets sufficient to carry out elaborate external constructions. (shrink)

Nonstandard set theory is an attempt to generalise nonstandard analysis to cover the whole of classical mathematics. Existing versions (Nelson, Hrbáček, Kawai) are unsatisfactory in that the unlimited idealisation principle conflicts with the wish to have a full theory of external sets. I re-analyse the underlying requirements of nonstandard set theory and give a new formal system, stratified nonstandard set theory, which seems to meet them better than the other versions.