[Math] Does Cantor-Bernstein hold for classes

lo.logicset-theory

In Bonn, we've been have a discussion on the topic in the title:

Suppose that A and B is are classes and that there are injections from A to B and fom B to A. Does it follow that there is a bijection between A and B?

Example: Let A the class of sets of cardinality one and let B be the class of sets of cardinality two. There is an injection

A -> B sending a to {a, emptyset},

B-> A sending b to {{b}}.

Does it follow that there is a bijection between A and B?

Best Answer

Ignoring set-theoretic technicalities of formulating the question properly, I see no reason that the usual proof of Schroder-Bernstein wouldn't work.

(Set-theoretic technicalities: In the standard language of set theory, you can't quantify over classes, so you can't quite state this. However, you can prove a metatheorem saying that whenever you exhibit two such injections, you can prove there is also a bijection. Alternatively, you could work in set theory with classes, in which the statement can be made properly and you ought to be able to prove it just like ordinary Schroder-Bernstein. Alternatively, it is a trivial corollary of the "global" axiom of choice (which implies, in particular, that all proper classes have the same size), though this is kind of applying a sledgehammer.)

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