English

The Internal Modal Logic of Forcing

Logic 2026-07-28 v1

Abstract

We connect modal set theory with Boolean-valued models by developing an \emph{internal} Kripke semantics for modal formulas whose atomic propositions are set-theoretic sentences. Given a complete Boolean algebra BB, we view its elements as ``local perspectives on truth'' inside the Boolean-valued universe V(B)V^{(B)} and interpret the modal operators using an accessibility relation RR on BB defined by \emph{co-consistency} (equivalently, Boolean compatibility): aRbaRb iff ab0a\wedge b\neq 0. Our central conceptual point is that, for set-theoretic sentences pp, the internal modality p\Diamond p holds at bb iff there is an ultrafilter UU of BB containing bb such that the classical quotient V(B)/UV^{(B)}/U satisfies pp. We compute several general and algebra-dependent modal validities, and analyze the special behavior of complete atomic Boolean algebras. Finally, adopting a translation-based semantics on the nonzero part B+=B{0}B^+=B\setminus\{0\}, we prove a soundness-and-completeness theorem: the normal logic \KTB\KTB is exactly the set of modal formulas valid in all translated co-consistency models with parameters.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2607.25977,
  title  = {The Internal Modal Logic of Forcing},
  author = {Santiago Jockwich and Sourav Tarafder and Giorgio Venturi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.25977},
  year   = {2026}
}