HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

In mathematical
set theory Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory, as a branch of mathematics, is mostly concern ...
, the
multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The dif ...
view is that there are many models of set theory, but no "absolute", "canonical" or "true" model. The various models are all equally valid or true, though some may be more useful or attractive than others. The opposite view is the "universe" view of set theory in which all sets are contained in some single ultimate model. The collection of countable transitive models of ZFC (in some universe) is called the hyperverse and is very similar to the "multiverse". A typical difference between the universe and multiverse views is the attitude to the
continuum hypothesis In mathematics, specifically set theory, the continuum hypothesis (abbreviated CH) is a hypothesis about the possible sizes of infinite sets. It states that or equivalently, that In Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice (ZF ...
. In the universe view the continuum hypothesis is a meaningful question that is either true or false though we have not yet been able to decide which. In the multiverse view it is meaningless to ask whether the continuum hypothesis is true or false before selecting a model of set theory. Another difference is that the statement "For every transitive model of ZFC there is a larger model of ZFC in which it is countable" is true in some versions of the multiverse view of mathematics but is false in the universe view.


References

* * Set theory Philosophy of mathematics Foundations of mathematics {{mathlogic-stub