1.1 The system K* of basic logic, as presented in a previous paper, will be shown to be formalizable in an alternative way according to which the rule [E],

is replaced by the rule [F],

1.2. General recursive functions will be shown to be definable in K* in a way that retains functional notation, so that the equation,

will be formalized in K* by the formula,

where ‘f’, ‘p1’, … ‘pn’ respectively denote φ, x1, …, xn, and where ‘≐’ plays the role of numerical equality. Partial recursive functions may be handled in a similar way. The rule [E] is not required for dealing with primitive recursive functions by this method.

1.3. An operator ‘G’ will be defined such that ‘[Ga ≐ p]’ is a theorem of K* if and only if ‘p’ denotes the Gödel number of ‘a’.

1.4. In reformulating K* we assume ‘o0’, ‘o1,’ ‘o2’, …, have been so chosen that we can determine effectively whether or not a given U-expression is the mth member of the above series. The revised rules for K* are then as follows. (Double-arrow forms of these rules are derivable, except in the case of rule [V].)

Professor Prior (Formal logic (1955), pp. 305–307) gives alternative postulate sets for Lewis's S5, one substantially Lewis's own set (p. 305, 6.1) and another, considerably simpler, due to Prior himself (pp. 306–307, 6.5). This note aims at showing that the systems based on these two postulate sets are in fact equivalent. We label the system based on Lewis's postulates ‘S5’, as usual, and that on Prior's postulates ‘P’.

The form of the postulate set for P considered here is as follows. We add to the full propositional calculus one definition:

Df. M: M = NLN;

and two special rules:

L1: ⊦Cαβ → ⊦CLαβ;

L2: ⊦Cαβ → ⊦CαLβ, if α is fully modalized (a propositional formula is fully modalized, if and only if all occurrences of propositional variables in it lie within the scope of a modal operator).

Prior's text (pp. 201–205) indicates sufficiently how it could be shown that any thesis of S5 is a thesis of P and that the rules and definitions of S5 are obtainable as derived rules of P. We turn, therefore, to the problem of showing that any thesis of P is a thesis of S5 and that the rules and definition of P are obtainable as derived rules of S5.

1. The purpose of this paper is to show that, if the axioms of a system G of set theory are consistent, then it is impossible to prove from them the following weak form of the axiom of choice: (H1) For every denumerable set x of disjoint two-element sets, there is a set y, called a choice set for x, which contains exactly one element in common with each element of x. Among the axioms of the system G, we take, with minor modifications, Axioms A, B, C of Gödel [6]. Clearly, the independence of H1 implies that of all stronger propositions, including the general axiom of choice and the generalized continuum hypothesis.

The proof depends upon ideas of Fraenkel and Mostowski, and proceeds in the following manner. Let a be a denumerable set of objects Δ0, Δ1, Δ2, …, the exact nature of which will be specified later. Let μj = {Δ2j, Δ2j+1} for each j, c = {μ0, μ1, μ2, …}, and b = [the sum set of a]. By transfinite induction, construct the class Vc which is the closure of b under the power-set operation. For each j, it is possible to define a 1–1 mapping of Vc onto itself with the following properties. The mapping preserves the ε-relation, or, more precisely, .