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Target: Prove $⊢ (A → B) ∨ (B → C)$ without using LEM.

I may be way off here, but is it valid to solve the above with the following or-elimination pattern:
Answer: No, it is not possible to prove without LEM.

1   A → B             (assumption)
2     A                 (assumption)
3     B                 (implication elimination 1,2)
4  (A → B) ∨ (B → C)  (or-introduction 1 1)

...

9 (A → B) ∨ (B → C) (or-elimination 1-4, ...)

user21820
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r018u
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    If you are allowed to use any hypotheses that you choose, then you can prove anything that you want. That is the way deduction works. What assumptions (hypotheses) are you allowed to use here? – Somos Oct 15 '20 at 19:57

3 Answers3

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You cannot prove this without the law of the excluded middle, since the law of the excluded middle follows from this statement. Just instantiate $A$ with True and $C$ with False and you get $B \lor \lnot B$.

With the law of the excluded middle, you can prove it by case distinction on $B \lor \lnot B$. From $B$ you derive $A \to B$ and from $\lnot B$ you derive $B \to C$, so in both cases you have $(A \to B) \lor (B \to C)$.

In your reasoning, you're never discharging assumptions 1 and 5, so you're effectively proving $A \to B \vdash (A \to B) \lor (B \to C)$ and $B \to C \vdash (A \to B) \lor (B \to C)$.

After the edit, which added line 9, the question looks more like a complex and incomplete way of deriving $(A \to B) \lor (B \to C) \vdash (A \to B) \lor (B \to C)$; that also doesn't get you anywhere.

Magdiragdag
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  • Thank you very much for the clarification. I've added an or-elimination that derives the formula from the assumptions 1-4, 5-8 for additional clarity (also seen that it does not get us anywhere for the proof!). Am i correct in assuming your first line of advice is the best approach here? "Just instantiate with True and with False and you get ∨¬." – r018u Oct 15 '20 at 20:14
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    You're not really doing or-elimination: the 'or' that you are making a case distinction on is nowhere to be seen. In my first paragraph I argue that you cannot derive this without LEM; I'm not sure if my approach is the easiest way to show that, but it works. With LEM, it seems easiest to do or-elimination with $B \lor \lnot B$. – Magdiragdag Oct 15 '20 at 20:18
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$\def\fitch#1#2{~~\begin{array}{|l}#1\\\hline#2\end{array}}$Of course, any LEM-disjunction elimination proof can be rewritten as a RAA proof.

When $P$ may be derived under an assumption of either $Q$ or $\neg Q$, then a contradiction may be derived under an assumption of $\neg P$, so therefore $\neg\neg P$ may be derived under no assumptions at all.

$$\fitch{}{Q\vee\neg Q\\\fitch{Q}{~\vdots\\ P}\\\fitch{\neg Q}{\vdots\\P}\\P}\qquad\lower{1.5ex}{\fitch{}{\fitch{\neg P}{\fitch{Q}{~\vdots\\ \bot}\\\neg Q\\~\vdots\\\bot}\\\neg\neg P\\P}}$$

Thus we have:...

$$\fitch{}{\fitch{\neg((a\to b)\vee(b\to c))\hspace{10ex}\textsf{Assume}}{\fitch{b\hspace{28ex}\textsf{Assume}}{\fitch{a\hspace{25.5ex}\textsf{Assume}}{b\hspace{26ex}\textsf{Reiterate}}\\a\to b\hspace{23.5ex}\textsf{Conditional Introduction}\\(a\to b)\vee (b\to c)\hspace{11.5ex}\textsf{Disjunction Introduction}\\\bot\hspace{27.5ex}\textsf{Negation Elimination}\\c\hspace{28.5ex}\textsf{Explosion}}\\ b\to c\hspace{26ex}\textsf{Conditional Introduction}\\(a\to b)\vee(b\to c)\hspace{14ex}\textsf{Disjunction Introduction}\\\bot\hspace{30ex}\textsf{Negation Elimination}}\\\neg\neg((a\to b)\vee(b\to c))\hspace{11ex}\textsf{Negation Introduction}\\(a\to b)\vee(b\to c)\hspace{16ex}\textsf{Double Negation Elimination}}$$


Remark: However, the rule of Double Negation Elimination is exactly as non-constructive as the Law of Excluded Middle.   So although this avoids explicitly invoking LEM it is still not Intuitionistic.

Graham Kemp
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It is not valid to solve $⊢ (A ⇒ B) ∨ (B ⇒ C)$ with or-elimination (which I assume it's the rule of elimination of disjunction), simply because there is no disjunction to eliminate. Your step 4 only works under the assumption of step 1 and 2, and your step 9 is redundant because you already have $(A ⇒ B) ∨ (B ⇒ C)$ in step 4, so you basically proved identity (you derived $(A ⇒ B) ∨ (B ⇒ C)$ from $(A ⇒ B) ∨ (B ⇒ C)$).

When you make an assumption you must discharge it, and after your step 9 you still have two assumptions to discharge. Note that if you first assumption is $(A ⇒ B)$ you can only conlude $1): ¬(A ⇒ B)$ by $I¬$ after you derivate a contradiction, or $2): ((A ⇒ B) ⇒ X)$ by $I⇒$ or $EFSQ$. So your first assumption will not lead to your goal.

The only way I see that a non-classic derivation can work is like this:

$1). A - assumption$

$2-?). ⊥$

$?). B - EFSQ - Close-assumption -1$

$?). (A ⇒ B) - I⇒ $

$?). ((A ⇒ B) ∨ (B ⇒ C)) - I∨ $

But this looks impossible (this literaly means that a contradiction folows from any formula)

The only way it seems this formula can be derived is by assuming $¬((A ⇒ B) ∨ (B ⇒ C))$ as your first step and then derivate a contradiction so that way you conclude $¬¬((A ⇒ B) ∨ (B ⇒ C))$ and then you can use $E¬¬$. But this is a classic derivation.

  • Ex Falso Quodlibet, also known as the rule of explosion, does not discharge any assumptions. This rule allows you to infer anything when a contradiction is derived in the same context.$$\dfrac{\Gamma\vdash\bot}{\Gamma\vdash \phi}$$ – Graham Kemp Oct 15 '20 at 23:39