Page:Russell, Whitehead - Principia Mathematica, vol. I, 1910.djvu/79

The nature of the above hierarchy of functions may be restated as follows. A function, as we saw at an earlier stage, presupposes as part of its meaning the totality of its values, or, what comes to the same thing, the totality of its possible arguments. The arguments to a function may be functions or propositions or individuals. (It will be remembered that individuals were defined as whatever is neither a proposition nor a function.) For the present we neglect the case in which the argument to a function is a proposition. Consider a function whose argument is an individual. This function presupposes the totality of individuals; but unless it contains functions as apparent variables, it does not presuppose any totality of functions. If, however, it does contain a function as apparent variable, then it cannot be defined until some totality of functions has been defined. It follows that we must first define the totality of those functions that have individuals as arguments and contain no functions as apparent variables. These are the predicative functions of individuals. Generally, a predicative function of a variable argument is one which involves no totality except that of the possible values of the argument, and those that are presupposed by any one of the possible arguments. Thus a predicative function of a variable argument is any function which can be specified without introducing new kinds of variables not necessarily presupposed by the variable which is the argument.

A closely analogous treatment can be developed for propositions. Propositions which contain no functions and no apparent variables may be called elementary propositions. Propositions which are not elen1entary, which contain no functions, and no apparent variables except individuals, may be called first-order propositions. (It should be observed that no variables except apparent variables can occur in a proposition, since whatever contains a real variable is a function, not a proposition.) Thus elementary and first-order propositions will be values of first-order functions. (It should be remembered that a function is not a constituent in one of its values: thus for example the function "$\scriptstyle {\hat {x}}$ is human" is not a constituent of the proposition "Socrates is human.") Elementary and first-order propositions presuppose no totality except (at most) the totality of individuals. They are of one or other of the three forms

$\scriptstyle {\phi !x}$; $\scriptstyle {(x).\phi !x}$; $\scriptstyle {(\exists x).\phi !x}$,

where $\scriptstyle {\phi !x}$ is a predicative function of an individual. It follows that, if $\scriptstyle {p}$ represents a variable elementary proposition or a variable first-order proposition, a function $\scriptstyle {fp}$ is either $\scriptstyle {f(\phi !x)}$ or $\scriptstyle {f\{(x).\phi !x\}}$ or $\scriptstyle {f\{(\exists x).\phi !x\}}$. Thus a function of an elementary or a first-order proposition may always be reduced to a function of a first-order function. It follows that a proposition involving the totality of first-order propositions may be reduced to one involving the totality of first-order functions; and this obviously applies equally to higher