Confusion about steps of proof of rule C.

first-order-logiclogicpredicate-logicproof-explanation

This question is from Introduction to Mathmatical Logic" by Elliot Mendelson , forth edition , page 83.Introduction to Mathmatical Logic

I am somewhat confused about some steps of the proof of rule C in the book.Here are the steps I am confused about:

1."We replace $d_k$ everywhere by a variable $z$ that does not occur in the proof" I don't get intuitively how this line is justified syntactically.What does it mean by "does not occur in the proof"?. Also, what "proof" they are exactly talking about?

2.

and, by Gen,
$$\Gamma , \mathscr C_1(d_1),…,\mathscr C_{k-1}(d_{k-1}) \vdash (\forall z)(\mathscr C_k(z) \to \mathscr B)$$
Hence, by Exercise $2.32(d)$,
$$\Gamma , \mathscr C_1(d_1),…,\mathscr C_{k-1}(d_{k-1}) \vdash (\exists y_k)\mathscr C_k(y_k) \to \mathscr B$$

I understand the use of Exercise $2.32(d)$ .What I don't understand is , how they were able to replace $z$ with $y_k$ ?

3.

But,
$$\Gamma , \mathscr C_1(d_1),…,\mathscr C_{k-1}(d_{k-1}) \vdash (\exists y_k)\mathscr C_k(y_k)$$

I have no idea how this line is derived.

Best Answer

To 1)

We we have two proof systems: the "basic" one, with $\text {MP}$ and $\text {Gen}$ as only rules of inference, with the corresponding derivability relation $\vdash$, and a new one, where we have three rules: the previous two plus $\text {Rule C}$, with $⊢_C$.

Prop.2.10 (page 82) says: if $Γ ⊢_C B$, then $Γ ⊢ B$. The proposition starts from a derivation that uses $\text {Rule C}$ and will produce a new derivation of the same end-formula that does not use it.

To replace $d$ everywhere means that, starting from the original $⊢_C$ derivation that uses the individual constant $d$, we have to replace in the sequence of formulas, starting from the first formula where $d$ occurs, every occurrence of $d$ with a new individual variable $z$.

We have to convince ourselves that this move is correct: $d$ is new, and thus no formulas in $\Gamma$ con use it.

Adding $d$, we can use it in instances of logical axioms; but the replacement of $d$ with $z$ will produce correct instances of logical axioms.

$\text {MP}$ is not affected; the only care must regards $\text {Gen}$, and here we have the proviso in the statement of $\text {Rule C}$.

In conclusion (assuming for simplicity that we have only one use of $\text {Rule C}$ in the derivation), starting from $\Gamma \vdash_C B$ we have: $\Gamma \vdash C(z) \to B$.


To 2)

Variable $z$ is new in the derivation; thus, it occurs nowhere in $\Gamma$ and we can "genaralize" it: $\Gamma \vdash \forall z (C(z) \to B)$.

Then we apply Coroll. 2.32 (d) to get: $\Gamma \vdash \exists z C(z) \to B$, because $z$ does not occur in $B$ [recall that $d$ does not occur in $B$].

But we can always "rename" a bound variable, provided that we do not violate the proviso regarding the free for condition [in a nutshell: $\forall x B(x) \vdash B(y) \vdash \forall z B(z)$].

Thus, we "restore" the original variable $y$ of $\exists y C(y)$ to get:

$\Gamma \vdash \exists y C(y) \to B$.


To 3)

Now the final step. The original proof $\Gamma \vdash_C B$ used $\text {Rule C}$ because somewhere in the derivation there were a formula $\exists y C(y)$ and $\text {Rule C}$ was used to introduce the new step $C(d)$.

But if $\exists y C(y)$ occurred in some step of the original derivation, either (i) $\exists y C(y) \in \Gamma$ or (ii) $\Gamma \vdash \exists y C(y)$.

In both cases:

$\Gamma \vdash \exists y C(y)$.

Thus, from:

n) $\Gamma \vdash \exists y C(y) \to B$,

and

n+1) $\Gamma \vdash \exists y C(y)$,

by $\text {MP}$ we have:

n+2) $\Gamma \vdash B$.