Eliminating Decision Problem Undecidability The context I am using is ordinary mathematical logic applied to classical logic:
For a given language, we have different models. A model is an interpretation of the meaning of the symbols of the language. Per a given model, every sentence receives exactly one of the two truth values. That is, per a given model, no sentence is both true and false, and every sentence is either true or it is false. Moreover, no proof has an infinite number of steps, since we cannot mechanically check an infinite number of steps.
Some sentences are true in every model (these are called 'logical truths')
Some sentences are true in some models and false in other models (these are called contingent sentences')
Some sentences are false in all models (these are called ''logical falsehoods').
If P is a sentence and t is a closed term term, then
~(P & ~P) is a theorem in every theory and it is true in every model (non contradiction)
P v ~P is a theorem in every theory and it is true in every model (excluded middle)
t = t is a theorem in every theory and it is true in every model (identity).
Moreover, we have the meta-theorem that a sentence is true in every theory if and only if it is provable in every theory.
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With formal theories, it is required to have a mechanical method to check whether a given sequence of formulas is a proof, and for that we need a mechanical method to check whether a given sequence of symbols is a formula of a certain kind, and for that we need a mechanical method to check whether a given sequence of symbols is a formula. And we need a mechanical method to check whether a given formula is a sentence.
It would be circular if, to know whether a given formula is a sentence, we needed first to know whether a given formula is such that either it or its negation is provable. To know whether it is a sentence we would need to know whether it is provable, but to know whether it is provable, we would need whether either it or its negation is provable.
Moreover, we have the meta-theorem that there are theories such that there are sentences such that neither the sentence nor its negation are provable in the theory. This does not contradict the law of excluded middle (P v ~P), since the law of excluded middle semantically is that either P is true or ~P is true, and the law of excluded middle syntactically is that P v ~P is provable in all theories, but the law of excluded middle is not that in all theories either P is provable of ~P is provable.