A characterization theorem for injective model classes axiomatized by general rules

Abstract

We continue the work in Zhu et al. [Normal conditions for inference relations and injective models, Theoret. Comput. Sci. 309 (2003) 287–311]. A class Ω of strict partial order structures ( posets, for short) is said to be axiomatizable if the class of all injective preferential models from Ω may be characterized in terms of general rules. This paper aims to obtain some characteristics of axiomatizable classes. To do this, a monadic second-order frame language is presented. The relationship between ℵ 0 -axiomatizability and second-order definability is explored. Then a notion of an admissible set is introduced. Based on this notion, we show that any preferential model, which does not contain any four-node substructure, must be a reduct of some injective model. Furthermore, we furnish a necessary and sufficient condition for the axiomatizability of classes of injective preferential models using general rules. Finally, we show that, in some sense, the class of all posets without any four-node substructure is the largest among axiomatizable classes.