Related papers: The Ground Axiom
We show that for $\Pi_2$-properties of second or third order arithmetic as formalized in appropriate natural signatures the apparently weaker notion of forcibility overlaps with the standard notion of consistency (assuming large cardinal…
We formulate physically-motivated axioms for a physical theory which for systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom uniquely lead to Quantum Mechanics as the only nontrivial consistent theory. Complex numbers and the existence of…
This paper is concerned with the axiomatic basis of structures within Hypercompositional Algebra. It is proven that the axioms employed in the definition of numerous hypercompositional structures lack independence. Accordingly, novel…
We propose an axiomatic approach to the concept of an intrinsic dimension of a dataset, based on a viewpoint of geometry of high-dimensional structures. Our first axiom postulates that high values of dimension be indicative of the presence…
So far, none of attempts to quantize gravity has led to a satisfactory model that not only describe gravity in the realm of a quantum world, but also its relation to elementary particles and other fundamental forces. Here, we outline the…
The aim of this paper is to explain carefully the arguments behind the assertion that the correct quantum theory of gravity must be background independent. We begin by recounting how the debate over whether quantum gravity must be…
We develop a toolbox for forcing over arbitrary models of set theory without the axiom of choice. In particular, we introduce a variant of the countable chain condition and prove an iteration theorem that applies to many classical forcings…
The current cosmological bound on the invisible axion scale may be avoided in the class of theories in which the gauge coupling constant is determined through the expectation value of some scalar field (e.g. moduli in supergravity and…
Geoffrion's theorem is a fundamental result from mathematical programming assessing the quality of Lagrangian relaxation, a standard technique to get bounds for integer programs. An often implicit condition is that the set of feasible…
On his way to General Relativity (GR) Einstein gave several arguments as to why a special relativistic theory of gravity based on a massless scalar field could be ruled out merely on grounds of theoretical considerations. We re-investigate…
There is evidence that string theory possesses a large discretuum of stable and/or metastable ground states, with zero or four supersymmetries in four dimensions. I discuss critically the nature of this evidence. Assuming this "landscape"…
This paper explores how a pluralist view can arise in a natural way out of the day-to-day practice of modern set theory. By contrast, the widely accepted orthodox view is that there is an ultimate universe of sets $V$, and it is in this…
An integer part I of a real closed field K is a discretely ordered subring with minimal element 1 such that, for every x in K, I contains some i such that x is between i and i+1 in the ordering of K. Mourgues and Ressayre showed that every…
Loop quantum gravity, a non-perturbative and manifestly background free, quantum theory of gravity implies that at the kinematical level the spatial geometry is discrete in a specific sense. The spirit of background independence also…
It is argued that (a) In the quantum realm test-particle masses have non-trivial observability which induces a non-geometric element in gravity, (b) Any theory of quantum gravity, on fundamental grounds, must contain an element of…
This is an introduction to the set-theoretic method of forcing, including its application in proving the independence of the Continuum Hypothesis from the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms of set theory. I presuppose no particular mathematical…
The abstract notion of a Universal Turing machine cannot exist as a physical subsystem without the introduction of noise from an external energy source. Like all other physical systems, physical Turing machines must convert energy sourced…
Even though the concept has evolved and if the designation as aether is improperly regarded as outdated, nobody today considers that the vacuum is empty. However, the nature and the properties of the substratum, which permeates the entire…
This talk presents foundations of mathematics as a historically variable set of principles appealing to various modes of human intuition and devoid of any prescriptive/prohibitive power. At each turn of history, foundations crystallize the…
The list of basic axioms of quantum mechanics as it was formulated by von Neumann includes only the mathematical formalism of the Hilbert space and its statistical interpretation. We point out that such an approach is too general to be…