Related papers: Hilbert's Program and Infinity
The Hilbert program was actually a specific approach for proving consistency. Quantifiers were supposed to be replaced by $\epsilon$-terms. $\epsilon{x}A(x)$ was supposed to denote a witness to $\exists{x}A(x)$, arbitrary if there is none.…
In the 1920s, Ackermann and von Neumann, in pursuit of Hilbert's Programme, were working on consistency proofs for arithmetical systems. One proposed method of giving such proofs is Hilbert's epsilon-substitution method. There was, however,…
For Hilbert, the consistency of a formal theory T is an infinite series of statements "D is free of contradictions" for each derivation D and a consistency proof is i) an operation that, given D, yields a proof that D is free of…
After a brief flirtation with logicism in 1917-1920, David Hilbert proposed his own program in the foundations of mathematics in 1920 and developed it, in concert with collaborators such as Paul Bernays and Wilhelm Ackermann, throughout the…
In the modern Bayesian view classical probability theory is simply an extension of conventional logic, i.e., a quantitative tool that allows for consistent reasoning in the presence of uncertainty. Classical theory presupposes, however,…
Hilbert's program was an ambitious and wide-ranging project in the philosophy and foundations of mathematics. In order to "dispose of the foundational questions in mathematics once and for all, "Hilbert proposed a two-pronged approach in…
We investigate the elimination of quantifiers in first-order formulas via Hilbert's epsilon-operator (or -binder), following Bernays' explicit definitions of the existential and the universal quantifier symbol by means of epsilon-terms.…
Proof theory began in the 1920's as a part of Hilbert's program, which aimed to secure the foundations of mathematics by modeling infinitary mathematics with formal axiomatic systems and proving those systems consistent using restricted,…
The $\epsilon$-substitution method is a technique for giving consistency proofs for theories of arithmetic. We use this technique to give a proof of the consistency of the impredicative theory $ID_1$ using a variant of the cut-elimination…
Hilbert's epsilon calculus is an extension of elementary or predicate calculus by a term-forming operator $\varepsilon$ and initial formulas involving such terms. The fundamental results about the epsilon calculus are so-called epsilon…
Kreisel has observed that the termination proof for Hilbert's epsilon-substitution method bears a resemblance to the priority arguments used in recursion theory. We make this precise by proving the termination using a framework for priority…
Hilbert's epsilon-calculus is based on an extension of the language of predicate logic by a term-forming operator $\epsilon_{x}$. Two fundamental results about the epsilon-calculus, the first and second epsilon theorem, play a role similar…
We first partly develop a mathematical notion of stable consistency intended to reflect the actual consistency property of human beings. Then we give a generalization of the first and second G\"odel incompleteness theorem to stably…
Almost from the inception of Hilbert's program, foundational and structural efforts in proof theory have been directed towards the goal of clarifying the computational content of modern mathematical methods. This essay surveys various…
The epsilon operator is a term-forming operator which replaces quantifiers in ordinary predicate logic. The application of this undervalued formalism has been hampered by the absence of well-behaved proof systems on the one hand, and…
Hilbert's Irreducibility Theorem is a cornerstone that joins areas of analysis and number theory. Both the genesis and genius of its proof involved combining real analysis and combinatorics. We try to expose the motivations that led Hilbert…
Large Language Models (LLMs) demonstrate impressive mathematical reasoning abilities, but their solutions frequently contain errors that cannot be automatically checked. Formal theorem proving systems such as Lean 4 offer automated…
Paul Bernays and David Hilbert carefully avoided overspecification of Hilbert's epsilon-operator and axiomatized only what was relevant for their proof-theoretic investigations. Semantically, this left the epsilon-operator underspecified.…
The First Hilbert problem is studied in this paper by applying two instruments: a new methodology distinguishing between mathematical objects and mathematical languages used to describe these objects; and a new numeral system allowing one…
This paper deals with the finite-time stabilization of a class of nonlinear infinite-dimensional systems. First, we consider a bounded matched perturbation in its linear form. It is shown that by using a set-valued function, both the…