English

Inner-model reflection principles

Logic 2021-02-16 v3

Abstract

We introduce and consider the inner-model reflection principle, which asserts that whenever a statement φ(a)\varphi(a) in the first-order language of set theory is true in the set-theoretic universe VV, then it is also true in a proper inner model WVW\subsetneq V. A stronger principle, the ground-model reflection principle, asserts that any such φ(a)\varphi(a) true in VV is also true in some non-trivial ground model of the universe with respect to set forcing. These principles each express a form of width reflection in contrast to the usual height reflection of the L\'evy-Montague reflection theorem. They are each equiconsistent with ZFC and indeed Π2\Pi_2-conservative over ZFC, being forceable by class forcing while preserving any desired rank-initial segment of the universe. Furthermore, the inner-model reflection principle is a consequence of the existence of sufficient large cardinals, and lightface formulations of the reflection principles follow from the maximality principle MP and from the inner-model hypothesis IMH. We also consider some questions concerning the expressibility of the principles.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1708.06669,
  title  = {Inner-model reflection principles},
  author = {Neil Barton and Andrés Eduardo Caicedo and Gunter Fuchs and Joel David Hamkins and Jonas Reitz and Ralf Schindler},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1708.06669},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

17 pages, revised version incorporating suggestions of the referees; a new co-author has been added. Commentary concerning this paper can be made at http://jdh.hamkins.org/inner-model-reflection-principles

R2 v1 2026-06-22T21:20:42.169Z