Dense ideals and cardinal arithmetic

From large cardinals we show the consistency of normal, fine, $\kappa$-complete $\lambda$-dense ideals on $\mathcal{P}_\kappa(\lambda)$ for successor $\kappa$. We explore the interplay between dense ideals, cardinal arithmetic, and squares, answering some open questions of Foreman

Computational reverse mathematics and foundational analysis

Reverse mathematics studies which subsystems of second order arithmetic are equivalent to key theorems of ordinary, non-set-theoretic mathematics. The main philosophical application of reverse mathematics proposed thus far is foundational analysis, which explores the limits of different foundations for mathematics in a formally precise manner. This paper gives a detailed account of the motivations and methodology of foundational analysis, which have heretofore been largely left implicit in the practice. It then shows how this account can be fruitfully applied in the evaluation of major foundational approaches by a careful examination of two case studies: a partial realization of Hilbert's program due to Simpson [1988], and predicativism in the extended form due to Feferman and Sch\"{u}tte. Shore [2010, 2013] proposes that equivalences in reverse mathematics be proved in the same way as inequivalences, namely by considering only $\omega$-models of the systems in question. Shore refers to this approach as computational reverse mathematics. This paper shows that despite some attractive features, computational reverse mathematics is inappropriate for foundational analysis, for two major reasons. Firstly, the computable entailment relation employed in computational reverse mathematics does not preserve justification for the foundational programs above. Secondly, computable entailment is a $\Pi^1_1$ complete relation, and hence employing it commits one to theoretical resources which outstrip those available within any foundational approach that is proof-theoretically weaker than $\Pi^1_1\text{-}\mathsf{CA}_0$.Comment: Submitted. 41 page

Geometrically closed rings

We develop the basic theory of geometrically closed rings as a generalisation of algebraically closed fields, on the grounds of notions coming from positive model theory and affine algebraic geometry. For this purpose we consider several connections between finitely presented rings and ultraproducts, affine varieties and definable sets, and we introduce the key notion of an arithmetic theory as a purely algebraic version of coherent logic for rings.Comment: 18 page

Reverse mathematics and properties of finite character

We study the reverse mathematics of the principle stating that, for every property of finite character, every set has a maximal subset satisfying the property. In the context of set theory, this variant of Tukey's lemma is equivalent to the axiom of choice. We study its behavior in the context of second-order arithmetic, where it applies to sets of natural numbers only, and give a full characterization of its strength in terms of the quantifier structure of the formula defining the property. We then study the interaction between properties of finite character and finitary closure operators, and the interaction between these properties and a class of nondeterministic closure operators.Comment: This paper corresponds to section 4 of arXiv:1009.3242, "Reverse mathematics and equivalents of the axiom of choice", which has been abbreviated and divided into two pieces for publicatio