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proof theory

Also known as: mathematical proof, metamathematics

Learn about this topic in these articles:

completeness

  • In completeness

    In proof theory, a formal system is said to be syntactically complete if and only if every closed sentence in the system is such that either it or its negation is provable in the system. In model theory, a formal system is said to be semantically…

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intuitionism

metalogic

  • David Hilbert
    In metalogic: Syntax and semantics

    …which is closely related to proof theory, must often be distinguished from semantics, which is closely related to model theory. Roughly speaking, syntax—as conceived in the philosophy of mathematics—is a branch of number theory, and semantics is a branch of set theory, which deals with the nature and relations of…

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modern logic

set theory

  • In set theory: Limitations of axiomatic set theory

    …axiomatic theory T is called proof theory, or metamathematics. It is premised upon the formulation of T as a formal axiomatic theory—i.e., the theory of inference (as well as T) must be axiomatized. It is then possible to present T in a purely symbolic form—i.e., as a formal language based…

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formalism, in mathematics, school of thought introduced by the 20th-century German mathematician David Hilbert, which holds that all mathematics can be reduced to rules for manipulating formulas without any reference to the meanings of the formulas. Formalists contend that it is the mathematical symbols themselves, and not any meaning that might be ascribed to them, that are the basic objects of mathematical thought. Compare intuitionism; logicism.