2,137 research outputs found
Laver and set theory
In this commemorative article, the work of Richard Laver is surveyed in its full range and extent.Accepted manuscrip
Labels for non-individuals
Quasi-set theory is a first order theory without identity, which allows us to
cope with non-individuals in a sense. A weaker equivalence relation called
``indistinguishability'' is an extension of identity in the sense that if
is identical to then and are indistinguishable, although the
reciprocal is not always valid. The interesting point is that quasi-set theory
provides us a useful mathematical background for dealing with collections of
indistinguishable elementary quantum particles. In the present paper, however,
we show that even in quasi-set theory it is possible to label objects that are
considered as non-individuals. We intend to prove that individuality has
nothing to do with any labelling process at all, as suggested by some authors.
We discuss the physical interpretation of our results.Comment: 11 pages, no figure
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