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    If class bijections require definable functions, the step... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→The Axiom of Limitation of Size implies the Axiom of Choice

    If class bijections require definable functions, the step from equinumerosity with the ordinals to a global well-ordering presupposes definable choice functions, making the argument question-begging.

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    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
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    • 1.Definability constraints are unavoidable: any function we actually construct or reason about must be specifiable in some language or formal system.
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    • 2.The argument conflates two distinct notions: equinumerosity (cardinality) and well-orderability (structure), requiring additional justification to bridge them.
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    • 3.Without explicit choice functions, deriving a global well-ordering from equinumerosity with ordinals appears to smuggle in set-theoretic principles rather than derive them.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Class bijections needn't be *definable* in a fixed language—they can exist as formal relations within set theory independent of our ability to describe them.
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    • 2.AC or global well-ordering can be derived from equinumerosity arguments without constructing explicit choice functions, using category-theoretic or structural methods.
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    • 3.The charge of begging the question requires showing the conclusion is assumed in premises; merely using set-theoretic tools does not establish circularity.
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    Key Terms

    choice functions(Formal semantics of indefinites)
    Functions that select a member from a set, used as a semantic mechanism to account for the scopal behavior of indefinites without syntactic movement
    class bijections(as used in set theory and mathematics)
    A one-to-one matching between two groups of things where each item in one group pairs with exactly one item in the other group with no leftovers.
    definable functions(as used in mathematical logic)
    Rules for matching or transforming things that can be precisely described or written down in a clear, explicit way.
    equinumerosity(as used in set theory)
    The property of two groups having the same size or number of items, even if the items themselves are different.
    global well-ordering(Derived from a class bijection between the universe and the class of von Neumann ordinals)
    A well-ordering of the entire universe of sets, whose existence implies the Axiom of Choice
    ordinals(Proof-theoretic treatment of ordinals, distinct from but related to set-theoretic ordinals)
    A central concept in both set theory and proof theory, used by Gentzen to assign measures to proofs in order to demonstrate consistency of PA via well-foundedness
    question-begging(Epistemology, anti-skeptical argumentation)
    A charge leveled against anti-skeptical arguments that assume what they set out to prove, particularly in Putnamian externalist arguments

    Connections

    2 topics

    Truth & Knowledge1 linkedModality & Possibility1 linked

    Related

    AC or global well-ordering can be derived from equinumerosity arguments without ...Class bijections needn't be *definable* in a fixed language—they can exist as fo...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    Definability constraints are unavoidable: any function we actually construct or ...
    The Axiom of Limitation of Size implies the Axiom of Choice
    +3 moreShow less
    The argument conflates two distinct notions: equinumerosity (cardinality) and we...The charge of begging the question requires showing the conclusion is assumed in...Without explicit choice functions, deriving a global well-ordering from equinume...