Combining Philosophers

Ideas for H.Putnam/P.Oppenheim, Nicholas P. White and Wilfrid Hodges

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6 ideas

5. Theory of Logic / J. Model Theory in Logic / 1. Logical Models
Model theory studies formal or natural language-interpretation using set-theory [Hodges,W]
     Full Idea: Model theory is the study of the interpretation of any language, formal or natural, by means of set-theoretic structures, with Tarski's truth definition as a paradigm.
     From: Wilfrid Hodges (Model Theory [2005], Intro)
     A reaction: My attention is caught by the fact that natural languages are included. Might we say that science is model theory for English? That sounds like Quine's persistent message.
A 'structure' is an interpretation specifying objects and classes of quantification [Hodges,W]
     Full Idea: A 'structure' in model theory is an interpretation which explains what objects some expressions refer to, and what classes some quantifiers range over.
     From: Wilfrid Hodges (Model Theory [2005], 1)
     A reaction: He cites as examples 'first-order structures' used in mathematical model theory, and 'Kripke structures' used in model theory for modal logic. A structure is also called a 'universe'.
Models in model theory are structures, not sets of descriptions [Hodges,W]
     Full Idea: The models in model-theory are structures, but there is also a common use of 'model' to mean a formal theory which describes and explains a phenomenon, or plans to build it.
     From: Wilfrid Hodges (Model Theory [2005], 5)
     A reaction: Hodges is not at all clear here, but the idea seems to be that model-theory offers a set of objects and rules, where the common usage offers a set of descriptions. Model-theory needs homomorphisms to connect models to things,
5. Theory of Logic / J. Model Theory in Logic / 3. Löwenheim-Skolem Theorems
Down Löwenheim-Skolem: if a countable language has a consistent theory, that has a countable model [Hodges,W]
     Full Idea: Downward Löwenheim-Skolem (the weakest form): If L is a first-order language with at most countably many formulas, and T is a consistent theory in L. Then T has a model with at most countably many elements.
     From: Wilfrid Hodges (First-Order Logic [2001], 1.10)
Löwenheim-Skolem says any theory with a true interpretation has a model in the natural numbers [White,NP]
     Full Idea: The Löwenheim-Skolem theorem tells us that any theory with a true interpretation has a model in the natural numbers.
     From: Nicholas P. White (What Numbers Are [1974], V)
Up Löwenheim-Skolem: if infinite models, then arbitrarily large models [Hodges,W]
     Full Idea: Upward Löwenheim-Skolem: every first-order theory with infinite models has arbitrarily large models.
     From: Wilfrid Hodges (First-Order Logic [2001], 1.10)