Abstract
We have seen that the structure n of natural numbers cannot be characterized in the first-order language corresponding to n. The same situation holds for the field of real numbers and the class of torsion groups. As we showed in Chapter VII, one can, at least in principle, overcome this weakness by a set-theoretical formulation: One introduces a system of axioms for set theory in a first-order language, e.g. ZFC, which is sufficient for mathematics, and then, in this system, carries out the arguments which are required, say, for a definition and characterization of n. However, this approach necessitates an explicit use of set theory to an extent not usual in ordinary mathematical practice.
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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Ebbinghaus, HD., Flum, J., Thomas, W. (1994). Extensions of First-Order Logic. In: Mathematical Logic. Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2355-7_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2355-7_9
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-2357-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2355-7
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