[FOM] Continuum Hypothesis : reference

[A.P. Hazen]

    Matt Insall mentions Sierpinski's "Hypothese du continu" as an example
of work that assumes the CH, and derives consequences which (if more were
derived and they were attractive enough) might incline mathematicians to
accept it.  This reminds of a parallel project.  Keith Devlin's "The Axiom
of Constructability: a guide for the mathematician" (Springer-Verlag, 1977
(= LNM v. 617)) presents consequences of Gödel's "Axiom of
Constructability," and in its introductory remarks avows the aim of
attracting mathematicians to that axiom.
    My SENSE is that comparatively few mathematicians want to help
themselves to  the Ax. of Constructibility, or think that it is true.
Which I guess just goes to show the subtlety of this kind of problem: it
would take more than Devlin's attractive consequences to sway them.
--
Allen  Hazen
Philosophy Department
University of Melbourne