It is now possible to reexamine Gödel’s theorems from a categorical point of view. In a sense, every interpretation of ℒ in a topos
may be considered as a model of ℒ, but this notion of model is too general, for example, when compared with the models of classical type theories studied by Henkin. Therefore, it is preferable to restrict
to being a special kind of topos called local. Given an arrow p into Ω in
, then, p is true in
if p coincides with the arrow true in
, or, equivalently, if p is a theorem in the internal language of
.
is called a local topos provided that (1) 0 = 1 is not true in
, (2) p ∨ q is true in
only if p is true in
or q is true in
, and (3) ∃x ∊ Aϕ(x) is true in
only if ϕ(a) is true in
for some arrow a ∶ 1 → A in
. Here the statement 0 = 1 in provision 1 can be replaced by any other contradiction—e.g., by ∀
t ∊ Ω
t, which says that every proposition is true.
A model of ℒ is an interpretation of ℒ in a local topos
. Gödel’s completeness theorem, generalized to intuitionistic type theory, may now be stated as follows: A closed formula of ℒ is a theorem if and only if it is true in every model of ℒ.
Gödel’s incompleteness theorem, generalized likewise, says that, in the usual language of arithmetic, it is not enough to look only at ω-complete models: Assuming that ℒ is consistent and that the theorems of ℒ are recursively enumerable, with the help of a decidable notion of proof, there is a closed formula g in ℒ, which is true in every ω-complete model, yet g is not a theorem in ℒ.
Zenos-paradox-illustrated-by-Achilles-racing-a-tortoiseFigure 1: Zeno’s paradox, illustrated by Achilles racing a tortoise.[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Contrasting-triangles-in-Euclidean-elliptic-and-hyperbolic-spacesFigure 2: Contrasting triangles in Euclidean, elliptic, and hyperbolic spaces.[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
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