Morley categoricity theorem Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-14
This theorem is the uncountable categoricity theorem for a categorical theory. If a countable first-order theory is categorical in one uncountable cardinal, then it is categorical in every uncountable cardinal.
A complete theory is categorical theory in the infinite cardinal , or -categorical, when it has a model of cardinality and any two of its models of cardinality are isomorphic. Equivalently, has exactly one model of cardinality up to isomorphism.
A model of cardinality is determined up to isomorphism by the unordered pair of cardinalities of its two equivalence classes. At cardinality , both infinite classes must be countable, so there is one isomorphism type. Thus is categorical theory in .
For every uncountable , a model with class sizes is not isomorphic to one with sizes . Hence is not -categorical for any uncountable ; it has no finite models.