The book discusses the fate of universality and a universal set in several set theories. The book aims at a philosophical study of ontological and conceptual questions around set theory. Set theories are ontologies. They posit sets and claim that these exhibit the essential properties laid down in the set theoretical axioms. Collecting these postulated entities quantified over poses the problem of universality. Is the collection of the set theoretical entities itself a set theoretical entity? What does it mean if it is, and what does it mean if it is not? To answer these questions involves developing a theory of the universal set. We have to ask: Are there different aspects to universality in set theory, which stand in conflict to each other? May inconsistency be the price to pay to circumvent ineffability? And most importantly: How far can axiomatic ontology take us out of the problems around universality?

Written by a prominent analyst Paul. R. Halmos, this book is the most famous, popular, and widely used textbook in the subject. The book is readable for its conciseness and clear explanation. This emended edition is with completely new typesetting and corrections. Asymmetry of the book cover is due to a formal display problem. Actual books are printed symmetrically. Please look at the paperback edition for the correct image. The free PDF file available on the publisher's website www.bowwowpress.org

This updated edition offers the reader an introduction to the field, which focuses on Quine's original work. It includes a revised account of the set theories of Church-Oswald and Mitchell, with permutation models and extensions that preserve power sets.

"This accessible approach to set theory for upper-level undergraduates poses rigorous but simple arguments. Each definition is accompanied by commentary that motivates and explains new concepts. A historical introduction is followed by discussions of classes and sets, functions, natural and cardinal numbers, the arithmetic of ordinal numbers, and related topics. 1971 edition with new material by the author"--

This is an introductory undergraduate textbook in set theory. In mathematics these days, essentially everything is a set. Some knowledge of set theory is necessary part of the background everyone needs for further study of mathematics. It is also possible to study set theory for its own interest--it is a subject with intruiging results anout simple objects. This book starts with material that nobody can do without. There is no end to what can be learned of set theory, but here is a beginning.

In this book, first published in 2003, categorical algebra is used to build a foundation for the study of geometry, analysis, and algebra.