What precisely are fragments of classical first-order logic showing “modal” behaviour? Perhaps the most influential answer is that of Gabbay 1981, which identifies them with so-called “finite-variable fragments”, using only some fixed finite number of variables (free or bound). This view-point has been endorsed by many authors (cf. van Benthem 1991). We will investigate these fragments, and find that, illuminating and interesting though they are, they lack the required nice behaviour in our sense. (Several new negative results support this claim.) (...) As a counterproposal, then, we define a large fragment of predicate logic characterized by its use of only bounded quantification. This so-called guarded fragment enjoys the above nice properties, including decidability, through an effectively bounded finite model property. (These are new results, obtained by generalizing notions and techniques from modal logic.) Moreover, its own internal finite variable hierarchy turns out to work well. Finally, we shall make another move. The above analogy works both ways. Modal operators are like quantifiers, but quantifiers are also like modal operators. This observation inspires a generalized semantics for first-order predicate logic with accessibility constraints on available assignments (cf. N´emeti 1986, 1992) which moves the earlier quantifier restrictions into the semantics. This provides a fresh look at the landscape of possible predicate logics, including candidates sharing various desirable features with basic modal logic – in particular, its decidability. (shrink)

We study algebras whose elements are relations, and the operations are natural “manipulations” of relations. This area goes back to 140 years ago to works of De Morgan, Peirce, Schröder . Well known examples of algebras of relations are the varieties RCAn of cylindric algebras of n-ary relations, RPEAn of polyadic equality algebras of n-ary relations, and RRA of binary relations with composition. We prove that any axiomatization, say E, of RCAn has to be very complex in the following sense: (...) for every natural number k there is an equation in E containing more than k distinct variables and all the operation symbols, if 2 < n < ω. Completely analogous statement holds for the case n ω. This improves Monk's famous non-finitizability theorem for which we give here a simple proof. We prove analogous nonfinitizability properties of the larger varieties SNrnCAn + k. We prove that the complementation-free subreducts of RCAn do not form a variety. We also investigate the reason for the above “non-finite axiomatizability” behaviour of RCAn. We look at all the possible reducts of RCAn and investigate which are finitely axiomatizable. We obtain several positive results in this direction. Finally, we summarize the results and remaining questions in a figure. We carry through the same programme for RPEAn and for RRA. By looking into the reducts we also investigate what other kinds of natural algebras of relations are possible with more positive behaviour than that of the well known ones. Our investigations have direct consequences for the logical properties of the n-variable fragment Ln of first order logic. The reason for this is that RCAn and RPEAn are the natural algebraic counterparts of Ln while the varieties SNrnCAn + k are in connection with the proof theory of Ln. This paper appears in two parts. The first part contains the non-finite axiomatizability results. The present second part contains finite axiomatizations of some fragments together with a figure summarizing the finite and non-finite axiomatizability results in this area and the problems left open. (shrink)

We study algebras whose elements are relations, and the operations are natural “manipulations” of relations. This area goes back to 140 years ago to works of De Morgan, Peirce, Schröder . Well known examples of algebras of relations are the varieties RCAn of cylindric algebras of n-ary relations, RPEAn of polyadic equality algebras of n-ary relations, and RRA of binary relations with composition. We prove that any axiomatization, say E, of RCAn has to be very complex in the following sense: (...) for every natural number k there is an equation in E containing more than k distinct variables and all the operation symbols, if 2 < n < ω. Completely analogous statement holds for the case n ω. This improves Monk's famous non-finitizability theorem for which we give here a simple proof. We prove analogous nonfinitizability properties of the larger varieties SNrnCAn + k. We prove that the complementation-free subreducts of RCAn do not form a variety. We also investigate the reason for the above “non-finite axiomatizability” behaviour of RCAn. We look at all the possible reducts of RCAn and investigate which are finitely axiomatizable. We obtain several positive results in this direction. Finally, we summarize the results and remaining questions in a figure. We carry through the same programme for RPEAn and for RRA. By looking into the reducts we also investigate what other kinds of natural algebras of relations are possible with more positive behaviour than that of the well known ones. Our investigations have direct consequences for the logical properties of the n-variable fragment Ln of first order logic. The reason for this is that RCAn and RPEAn are the natural algebraic counterparts of Ln while the varieties SNrnCAn + k are in connection with the proof theory of Ln. This paper appears in two parts. The first part contains the non-finite axiomatizability results. The present second part contains finite axiomatizations of some fragments together with a figure summarizing the finite and non-finite axiomatizability results in this area and the problems left open. (shrink)

In the modal literature various notions of "completeness" have been studied for normal modal logics. Four of these are defined here, viz. completeness, first-order completeness, canonicity and possession of the finite model property -- and their connections are studied. Up to one important exception, all possible inclusion relations are either proved or disproved. Hopefully, this helps to establish some order in the jungle of concepts concerning modal logics. In the course of the exposition, the interesting properties of first-order definability and (...) preservation under ultrafilter extensions are introduced and studied as well. (shrink)

We consider the problem of finding and classifying representations in algebraic logic. This is approached by letting two players build a representation using a game. Homogeneous and universal representations are characterized according to the outcome of certain games. The Lyndon conditions defining representable relation algebras (for the finite case) and a similar schema for cylindric algebras are derived. Finite relation algebras with homogeneous representations are characterized by first order formulas. Equivalence games are defined, and are used to establish whether an (...) algebra is ω-categorical. We have a simple proof that the perfect extension of a representable relation algebra is completely representable. An important open problem from algebraic logic is addressed by devising another two-player game, and using it to derive equational axiomatisations for the classes of all representable relation algebras and representable cylindric algebras. Other instances of this approach are looked at, and include the step by step method. (shrink)

A boolean algebra is shown to be completely representable if and only if it is atomic, whereas it is shown that neither the class of completely representable relation algebras nor the class of completely representable cylindric algebras of any fixed dimension (at least 3) are elementary.