Set Theory

A concise tour from the subject's ancient roots towards the highest infinities and their surprising implications for the finite.

John P. Burgess (Author)

9781108986915, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 March 2022

75 pages
22.9 x 15.1 x 0.5 cm, 0.14 kg

Set theory is a branch of mathematics with a special subject matter, the infinite, but also a general framework for all modern mathematics, whose notions figure in every branch, pure and applied. This Element will offer a concise introduction, treating the origins of the subject, the basic notion of set, the axioms of set theory and immediate consequences, the set-theoretic reconstruction of mathematics, and the theory of the infinite, touching also on selected topics from higher set theory, controversial axioms and undecided questions, and philosophical issues raised by technical developments.

1. Historical Roots
2. The Notion of Set
3. The Zermelo-Fraenkel Axioms
4. Immediate Consequences
5. Number Systems within Set Theory
6. Infinities
7. The Axiom of Choice
8. Topics in Higher Set Theory
9. Metamathematics of Set Theory
10. Large Cardinals and Determinacy
11. Concluding Philosophical Remarks.

Subject Areas: Set theory [PBCH], Philosophy: logic [HPL], Philosophy [HP]