IDENTITY RULES

Section 8.7 introduces three rules for drawing inferences with identities. The text calls all three ID but LogicCoach adds a distinguishing numeral to the ID.

ID.1 p // a=a
ID.2 a=b :: b=a
ID.3 ƒa / a=b // ƒb

ID.1 and ID.3 are implication rules while ID.2 is a replacement rule

WARNING: The ID rules are only defined for individual constants. They cannot be applied to variables. To prove an identity about universally quantified variables, consider indirect proof

ID.1   The p in the form's premise indicates that any premise can be used to justify writing that an individual constant is identical to itself. The identity is a logical truth.

ID.2   This replacement rule functions for identity as COM functions for and for

ID.3   Any line that contains an individual constant can be thought of as a compound property of that individual. Thus (x)(Fx ⊃ Fd) is the property of d and not just the F-predicate. This allows ID.3 to be used to replace the d in (x)(Fx ⊃ Fd) with any other individual constant to which it is identical.

1.
2.
3.
(x)(Fx ⊃ Fd)
d=e
(x)(Fx ⊃ Fe)
 
 
1,2 ID.3