Page:Russell, Whitehead - Principia Mathematica, vol. I, 1910.djvu/122

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
100
MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
[PART I

primitive proposition *1·11, since it states a practically important consequence of this fact, is called the "axiom of identification of type."

Another consequence of the principle that, if there is an argument for which both and are significant, then is significant whenever is significant, and vice versa, will be given in the "axiom of identification of real variables," introduced in *1·72. These two propositions, *1·11 and *1·72, give what is symbolically essential to the conduct of demonstrations in accordance with the theory of types.

The above proposition *1·11 is used in every inference from one asserted propositional function to another. We will illustrate the use of this proposition by setting forth at length the way in which it is first used, in the proof of *2·06. That proposition is

""

We have already proved, in *2·05, the proposition

It is obvious that *2·06 results from *2·05 by means of *2·04, which is

For if, in this proposition, we replace by , by , and by , we obtain, as an instance of *2·04, the proposition

,

and here the hypothesis is asserted by *2·05. Thus our primitive proposition *1·11 enables us to assert the conclusion.

*1·2.

This proposition states: "If either is true or is true, then is true." It is called the "principle of tautology," and will be quoted by the abbreviated title of "Taut." It is convenient, for purposes of reference, to give names to a few of the more important propositions; in general, propositions will be referred to by their numbers.

*1·3.

This principle states: "If is true, then ' or ' is true." Thus e.g. if is "to-day is Wednesday" and is "to-day is Tuesday," the principle states: "If to-day is Wednesday, then to-day is either Tuesday or Wednesday." It is called the "principle of addition," because it states that if a proposition is true, any alternative may be added without making it false. The principle will be referred to as "Add."

*1·4.

This principle sates that " or " implies " or ." It states the permutative law for logical addition of propositions, and will be called the "principle of permutation." It will be referred to as "Perm."