AlephNeil comments on Completeness, incompleteness, and what it all means: first versus second order logic - Less Wrong

45 Post author: Stuart_Armstrong 16 January 2012 05:38PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (38)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: AlephNeil 25 January 2012 02:27:38PM 2 points [-]

The comprehension axiom schema (or any other construction that can be used by a proof checker algorithm) isn't enough to prove all the statements people consider to be inescapable consequences of second-order logic.

Indeed, since the second-order theory of the real numbers is categorical, and since it can express the continuum hypothesis, an oracle for second-order validity would tell us either that CH or ¬CH is 'valid'.

("Set theory in sheep's clothing".)