Modal logics are studied in their algebraic disguise of varieties of so-called modal algebras. This enables us to apply strong results of a universal algebraic nature, notably those obtained by B. Jonsson. It is shown that the degree of incompleteness with respect to Kripke semantics of any modal logic containing the axiom □ p → p or containing an axiom of the form $\square^mp \leftrightarrow\square^{m + 1}p$ for some natural number m is 2 ℵ 0 . Furthermore, we show that (...) there exists an immediate predecessor of classical logic (axiomatized by $p \leftrightarrow \square p$ ) which is not characterized by any finite algebra. The existence of modal logics having 2 ℵ 0 immediate predecessors is established. In contrast with these results we prove that the lattice of extensions of S4 behaves much better: a logic extending S4 is characterized by a finite algebra iff it has finitely many extensions and any such logic has only finitely many immediate predecessors, all of which are characterized by a finite algebra. (shrink)

In the following we will use the well-known correspondence between modal logics and varieties of modal algebras in our investigation of the function which assigns to a modal logic its degree of incompleteness. A modal algebra is an algebra A = where is a Boolean algebra and is a unary operation satisfying 1 = 1 and = x y ; is called a modal operator. A variety of algebras is a class of algebras closed under the operations of forming homomorphic (...) images, subalgebras as and direct products, and if K is a class of algebras then V denotes the smallest variety containing K. The variety of modal algebras is denoted by M, the subvariety of M dened by the equation x x = x by MR and the subvariety of M dened by the equation x n = x n1 , n a natural number, by Mn . Here x 0 = x, x n = , n a natural number. We write for the lattice of subvarieties of a variety K. If K, K 0 are varieties such that K $ K 0 but for no variety K 00 K $ K 00 $ K 0 then we say that K 0 is a cover of K. The smallest normal modal logic { containing the axiom ! and closed under the inference rules of modus ponens, substitution and necessitation { will be denoted by K; the lattice of modal logics which are extensions of K by. (shrink)