Logical Dreams

We discuss the past and future of set theory, axiom systems and independence results. We deal in particular with cardinal arithmetic

On what I do not understand (and have something to say): Part I

This is a non-standard paper, containing some problems in set theory I have in various degrees been interested in. Sometimes with a discussion on what I have to say; sometimes, of what makes them interesting to me, sometimes the problems are presented with a discussion of how I have tried to solve them, and sometimes with failed tries, anecdote and opinion. So the discussion is quite personal, in other words, egocentric and somewhat accidental. As we discuss many problems, history and side references are erratic, usually kept at a minimum (``see ... '' means: see the references there and possibly the paper itself). The base were lectures in Rutgers Fall'97 and reflect my knowledge then. The other half, concentrating on model theory, will subsequently appear

Spectra of Monadic Second-Order Formulas with One Unary Function

We establish the eventual periodicity of the spectrum of any monadic second-order formula where: (i) all relation symbols, except equality, are unary, and (ii) there is only one function symbol and that symbol is unary

Elementary submodels in infinite combinatorics

The usage of elementary submodels is a simple but powerful method to prove theorems, or to simplify proofs in infinite combinatorics. First we introduce all the necessary concepts of logic, then we prove classical theorems using elementary submodels. We also present a new proof of Nash-Williams's theorem on cycle-decomposition of graphs, and finally we improve a decomposition theorem of Laviolette concerning bond-faithful decompositions of graphs

Ultrafilter convergence in ordered topological spaces

We characterize ultrafilter convergence and ultrafilter compactness in linearly ordered and generalized ordered topological spaces. In such spaces, and for every ultrafilter $D$, the notions of $D$-compactness and of $D$-pseudocompactness are equivalent. Any product of initially $\lambda$-compact generalized ordered topological spaces is still initially $\lambda$-compact. On the other hand, preservation under products of certain compactness properties are independent from the usual axioms for set theory.Comment: v. 2: some additions and some improvement