Limitation of size
Encyclopedia
In the philosophy of mathematics
, specifically the philosophical foundations of set theory
, limitation of size is a concept developed by Philip Jourdain
and/or Georg Cantor
to avoid Cantor's paradox
. It identifies certain "inconsistent multiplicities", in Cantor's terminology, that cannot be sets because they are "too large". In modern terminology these are called proper classes
.
The axiom of limitation of size
is an axiom in some versions of von Neumann–Bernays–Gödel set theory
or Morse–Kelley set theory
. This axiom says that any class which is not "too large" is a set, and a set cannot be "too large". "Too large" is defined as being large enough that the class of all sets can be mapped one-to-one into it.
Philosophy of mathematics
The philosophy of mathematics is the branch of philosophy that studies the philosophical assumptions, foundations, and implications of mathematics. The aim of the philosophy of mathematics is to provide an account of the nature and methodology of mathematics and to understand the place of...
, specifically the philosophical foundations of set theory
Set theory
Set theory is the branch of mathematics that studies sets, which are collections of objects. Although any type of object can be collected into a set, set theory is applied most often to objects that are relevant to mathematics...
, limitation of size is a concept developed by Philip Jourdain
Philip Jourdain
Philip Edward Bertrand Jourdain was a British logician and follower of Bertrand Russell.He was born in Ashbourne in Derbyshire one of a large family belonging to Emily Clay and his father Francis Jourdain . He was partly disabled by Friedreich's ataxia...
and/or Georg Cantor
Georg Cantor
Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor was a German mathematician, best known as the inventor of set theory, which has become a fundamental theory in mathematics. Cantor established the importance of one-to-one correspondence between the members of two sets, defined infinite and well-ordered sets,...
to avoid Cantor's paradox
Cantor's paradox
In set theory, Cantor's paradox is derivable from the theorem that there is no greatest cardinal number, so that the collection of "infinite sizes" is itself infinite...
. It identifies certain "inconsistent multiplicities", in Cantor's terminology, that cannot be sets because they are "too large". In modern terminology these are called proper classes
Class (set theory)
In set theory and its applications throughout mathematics, a class is a collection of sets which can be unambiguously defined by a property that all its members share. The precise definition of "class" depends on foundational context...
.
The axiom of limitation of size
Axiom of limitation of size
In class theories, the axiom of limitation of size says that for any class C, C is a proper class, that is a class which is not a set , if and only if it can be mapped onto the class V of all sets....
is an axiom in some versions of von Neumann–Bernays–Gödel set theory
Von Neumann–Bernays–Gödel set theory
In the foundations of mathematics, von Neumann–Bernays–Gödel set theory is an axiomatic set theory that is a conservative extension of the canonical axiomatic set theory ZFC. A statement in the language of ZFC is provable in NBG if and only if it is provable in ZFC. The ontology of NBG includes...
or Morse–Kelley set theory
Morse–Kelley set theory
In the foundation of mathematics, Morse–Kelley set theory or Kelley–Morse set theory is a first order axiomatic set theory that is closely related to von Neumann–Bernays–Gödel set theory...
. This axiom says that any class which is not "too large" is a set, and a set cannot be "too large". "Too large" is defined as being large enough that the class of all sets can be mapped one-to-one into it.