Homeomorphism and the equivalence of logical systems

Abstract

Say that a property is topological if and only if it is invariant under homeomorphism. Homeomorphism would be a successful criterion for the equivalence of logical systems only if every logically significant property of every logical system were topological. Alas, homeomorphisms are sometimes insensitive to distinctions that logicians value: properties such as functional completeness are not topological. So logics are not just devices for exploring closure topologies. One still wonders, though, how much of logic is topological. This essay examines some logically significant properties that are topological (or are topological in some important class). In the process, we learn something about the conditions under which the meaning of a connective can be “given by the connective’s role in inference.” © 1998 by the University of Notre Dame. All rights reserved.