Monday, 20 November 2006

set theory - Montague's Reflection Principle and Compactness Theorem

As Sridhar already explained, Lévy–Montague Reflection is a theorem scheme and not a single theorem which resolves the apparent contradiction, but here are a few additional cool facts.



First, note that ZFC is not finitely axiomatizable (otherwise we would indeed have a contradiction) but there is a recursive listing of the axioms of ZFC. Let's fix such a listing phi0phi0,phi1phi1,phi2phi2,... If MM is a model of ZFC, then either MM is an omegaomega-model (i.e. the finite ordinals of MM are truly finite) or it is not (i.e. MM has some nonstandard finite ordinals). Let's see what happens in each case.



Suppose first that MM is an omegaomega-model. The recursive listing phi0phi0,phi1phi1,phi2phi2,... exists in MM and, by Lévy–Montague, people living in MM believe that phi0,ldots,phinphi0,ldots,phin has a model for each n<omegan<omega. Since people living in MM also believe in the Compactness Theorem, they also believe that there is a model of ZFC. This is surprising, but note that the hypothesis that MM is an omegaomega-model is essential since without it we there is no reason for MM's notion of finite to agree with ours. This is where your initial reasoning strayed, you naturally assumed that every model of ZFC was an omegaomega-model.



Suppose now that MM is not an omegaomega-model. The recursive listing phi0phi0,phi1phi1,phi2phi2,... makes sense in MM, but since MM has nonstandard finite ordinals this listing continues beyond the true omegaomega and people who live in MM believe that these nonstandard phiNphiN's are real axioms of ZFC! By Lévy–Montague, MM believes that phi0,ldots,phinphi0,ldots,phin has a model for every standard nn, but since Lévy–Montague Reflection doesn't say anything about nonstandard axioms, there may be some nonstandard finite ordinal NN in MM such that people living in MM do not believe that the nonstandard finite set phi0,ldots,phiNphi0,ldots,phiN has a model.



Now here is a funny thing that was pointed out by Joel David Hamkins in answer to another question. Suppose MM is a model of ZFC + ¬Con(ZFC). Since people in MM believe that their finite ordinals are wellordered, there must be a first finite ordinal NN in MM such that phi0,ldots,phiNphi0,ldots,phiN has no model in MM. This NN must be nonstandard finite ordinal, and so must its predecessor N1N1. By minimality of NN, people in MM believe that phi0,ldots,phiN1phi0,ldots,phiN1 does have a model. Let M be such a model. Note that Mmodelsphin for every standard axiom phin since n<N1. Therefore, although people living in M certainly don't believe it, this M is in fact a model of ZFC!!!



Thus, Lévy–Montague Reflection does imply that every model of ZFC contains another model of ZFC, but the models are not necessarily aware of that fact...

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