Lightface Σ21\Sigma^1_2-indescribable cardinals

$\Sigma^1_3$-absoluteness for ccc forcing means that for any ccc forcing $P$, ${H_{\omega_1}}^V \prec_{\Sigma_2}{H_{\omega_1}}^{V^P}$. "$\omega_1$ inaccessible to reals" means that for any real $r$, ${\omega_1}^{L[r]}<\omega_1$. To measure the exact consistency strength of "$\Sigma^1_3$-absoluteness for ccc forcing and $\omega_1$ is inaccessible to reals", we introduce a weak version of a weakly compact cardinal, namely, a (lightface) $\Sigma^1_2$-indescribable cardinal; $\kappa$ has this property exactly if it is inaccessible and $H_\kappa \prec_{\Sigma_2} H_{\kappa^+}$

Maximal sets without Choice

We show that it is consistent relative to ZF, that there is no well-ordering of $\mathbb{R}$ while a wide class of special sets of reals such as Hamel bases, transcendence bases, Vitali sets or Bernstein sets exists. To be more precise, we can assume that every projective hypergraph on $\mathbb{R}$ has a maximal independent set, among a few other things. For example, we get transversals for all projective equivalence relations. Moreover, this is possible while either $\mathsf{DC}_{\omega_1}$ holds, or countable choice for reals fails. Assuming the consistency of an inaccessible cardinal, "projective" can even be replaced with "$L(\mathbb{R})$". This vastly strengthens earlier consistency results in the literature.Comment: 16 page

Absoluteness via Resurrection

The resurrection axioms are forcing axioms introduced recently by Hamkins and Johnstone, developing on ideas of Chalons and Velickovi\'c. We introduce a stronger form of resurrection axioms (the \emph{iterated} resurrection axioms $\textrm{RA}_\alpha(\Gamma)$ for a class of forcings $\Gamma$ and a given ordinal $\alpha$), and show that $\textrm{RA}_\omega(\Gamma)$ implies generic absoluteness for the first-order theory of $H_{\gamma^+}$ with respect to forcings in $\Gamma$ preserving the axiom, where $\gamma=\gamma_\Gamma$ is a cardinal which depends on $\Gamma$ ($\gamma_\Gamma=\omega_1$ if $\Gamma$ is any among the classes of countably closed, proper, semiproper, stationary set preserving forcings). We also prove that the consistency strength of these axioms is below that of a Mahlo cardinal for most forcing classes, and below that of a stationary limit of supercompact cardinals for the class of stationary set preserving posets. Moreover we outline that simultaneous generic absoluteness for $H_{\gamma_0^+}$ with respect to $\Gamma_0$ and for $H_{\gamma_1^+}$ with respect to $\Gamma_1$ with $\gamma_0=\gamma_{\Gamma_0}\neq\gamma_{\Gamma_1}=\gamma_1$ is in principle possible, and we present several natural models of the Morse Kelley set theory where this phenomenon occurs (even for all $H_\gamma$ simultaneously). Finally, we compare the iterated resurrection axioms (and the generic absoluteness results we can draw from them) with a variety of other forcing axioms, and also with the generic absoluteness results by Woodin and the second author.Comment: 34 page