Propositional Calculus - Example 1. Simple Axiom System

Example 1. Simple Axiom System

Let, where, are defined as follows:

  • The alpha set, is a finite set of symbols that is large enough to supply the needs of a given discussion, for example:
  • Of the three connectives for conjunction, disjunction, and implication (, and ), one can be taken as primitive and the other two can be defined in terms of it and negation . Indeed, all of the logical connectives can be defined in terms of a sole sufficient operator. The biconditional can of course be defined in terms of conjunction and implication, with defined as .
    Adopting negation and implication as the two primitive operations of a propositional calculus is tantamount to having the omega set partition as follows:
  • An axiom system discovered by Jan Ɓukasiewicz formulates a propositional calculus in this language as follows. The axioms are all substitution instances of:
  • The rule of inference is modus ponens (i.e., from and, infer ). Then is defined as, and is defined as .

Read more about this topic:  Propositional Calculus

Famous quotes containing the words simple, axiom and/or system:

    All the phenomena which surround him are simple and grand, and there is something impressive, even majestic, in the very motion he causes, which will naturally be communicated to his own character, and he feels the slow, irresistible movement under him with pride, as if it were his own energy.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    It is an axiom in political science that unless a people are educated and enlightened it is idle to expect the continuance of civil liberty or the capacity for self-government.
    Texas Declaration of Independence (March 2, 1836)

    As long as learning is connected with earning, as long as certain jobs can only be reached through exams, so long must we take this examination system seriously. If another ladder to employment was contrived, much so-called education would disappear, and no one would be a penny the stupider.
    —E.M. (Edward Morgan)