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Zermelo Proof Theory

Zermelo's proof of the well-ordering theorem is a pivotal moment in set theory, as it was the first to explicitly use the axiom of choice. He demonstrated that any nonempty set can be well-ordered, leading to acceptance of the axiom despite initial controversies. The axiom of choice is crucial for many mathematical theorems and is equivalent to several other principles in mathematics.

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47 views2 pages

Zermelo Proof Theory

Zermelo's proof of the well-ordering theorem is a pivotal moment in set theory, as it was the first to explicitly use the axiom of choice. He demonstrated that any nonempty set can be well-ordered, leading to acceptance of the axiom despite initial controversies. The axiom of choice is crucial for many mathematical theorems and is equivalent to several other principles in mathematics.

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shashvat060
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Zermelo’s Proof of the Well-Ordering

Principle
Zermelo’s proof of the well-ordering theorem is the first
mathematical argument that explicitly invokes the axiom
of choice. As a result, the proof can be viewed as an
important moment in the development of modern set
theory. For this reason, we now present a summary of
this proof. Let be a nonempty set and let be the set of
all nonempty subsets of ; that is, let

: .

Let be a choice function for . Call a set a -set if


and only if there is a well-ordering of such that, for
each ,

∶ ≮ .

Thus, each element is the element that the choice


function selects from the set of all elements in that do
not (strictly) precede in the ordering . For example,
if , then one can show that is a -set. Thus,
-sets exist. Let be a -set with well ordering and let
be a -set with well-ordering . In his proof, Zermelo
showed that either and continues or
and continues , where we say that continues
when the order only adds new elements that are
greater than all of the elements ordered by . Zermelo
also showed that the union of all of the -sets is a -set
and that this union equals . Therefore, can be well-
ordered.
Essentially, the axiom of choice states that one can make
infinitely many arbitrary choices. As noted above,
Cantor’s acceptance of infinite sets led to a dispute
among some of Cantor’s contemporaries. Similarly,
Zermelo’s axiom of choice incited further controversy
concerning the infinite. The main objection to the axiom
of choice was the obvious one: How can the existence of a
choice function be justified when such a function cannot
be defined or explicitly constructed? Surprisingly, many of
the axiom’s severest critics had unwittingly applied the
axiom in their own work. In the decades following its
introduction, the axiom of choice gained acceptance
among most mathematicians; in part, this was because
the axiom of choice is a very useful principle whose
deductive strength is required to prove many important
mathematical theorems (Moore 2012). Moreover, the
axiom of choice is equivalent to a number of seemingly
unrelated principles in mathematics. For example, in ZF,
the axiom of choice is equivalent to Zorn’s lemma, the
well-ordering theorem, and the comparability theorem
(see Cunningham 2016).
The Zermelo-Fraenkel system of axioms is denoted by ZF
and the axiom of choice is abbreviated by AC. The axiom
of choice is not one of the axioms in ZF. The result of
adding the axiom of choice to the system ZF is denoted by
ZFC.

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