Celeb Glow
general | April 15, 2026

Zorn's lemma, every set can be well-ordered

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My task is to prove the well-ordering theorem:

Every non empty set $X$ can be well-ordered

I want to do so in the following steps, which involve Zorn's lemma:

Step 1):

Let $X$ be non empty and $\mathcal{P}=\{(Y,<_Y)| Y\subseteq X, \emptyset\neq Y~\text{and}~ <_Y ~ \text{is a well-ordering on Y}\}$. Show that $\mathcal{P}\neq\emptyset$

Proof:

Since $X\neq\emptyset$ it exists $x\in X$. Then $\{x\}\in\mathcal{P}$, because $\emptyset\neq\{x\}\subseteq X$ and $\{x\}$ can obviously be well-ordered.

So $\mathcal{P}\neq\emptyset$.

Step 2):

Let $\leq$ be a partial order on $\mathcal{P}$ defined by:

$(Y, <_Y)\leq (Z, <_Z)\Leftrightarrow Y\subseteq Z~\text{and for every $x,y\in Y$ holds:}~ (x<_Y y\Leftrightarrow x <_Z y)~\text{and for every $y\in Y$, $z\in Z-Y$ holds:}~ y <_Z z.$

Show that $\mathcal{P}$ is ordered inductivly.

Proof:

We have to show that every linear ordered subset of $\mathcal{P}$ has an upper bound.

Let $\{(M_i, <_{M_i})_{i\in I}\}$ be a linear ordered subset of $\mathcal{P}$

Now I would set $S:=\bigcup_{i\in I} M_i$ with an order $<_S$ and show

$(M_i, <_{M_i})\leq (S,<_S)$ for every $i\in I$.

My problem is that I do not know how I can show that $(S,<_S)\in\mathcal{P}$ and in particular how to give an order on $S$.

Also I wonder if you can have a set $M$ with different orders in $\mathcal{P}$.

Like $M=\{x,y\}$ with the order $<$ and $<'$ where it is $x<'y$ and the other order $y<x$.$M$ is well-orderd with regards to both orders.

And I feel like I would get a problem if such $M$ would occur in $S$.

Step 3):

Is $(Y,<_Y)\in\mathcal{P}$ a maximal element regarding $\leq$, then is $Y=X$.

Proof:

First of all it is clear that $Y\subseteq X$.

So we just need to show $Y\supseteq X$.

Suppose the contrary and $Y\not\supseteq X$. Then there is $x\in X$ with $x\notin Y$.

Observe $(\underbrace{Y\cup\{x\}}_{:=Y'}, <_{Y'})$ where $u<_Y' v\Leftrightarrow u<_Y v$ if $u,v\in Y$ and $u<_Y x$ for every $u\in Y$.

Since $(Y,<_Y)$ is maximal we have:

$(Y',<_{Y'})\leq (Y,<_Y)$, but $Y'\not\subseteq Y$. Contradiction.

Step 4):

Conclude the well-ordering theorem

With the lemma of Zorn we can now conclude, that $X$ can be well-ordered, since it is the maximal element of $\mathcal{P}$.

Besides the gap in step 2), is this correct? How can I fix step 2) and provide an order on $S$? What about my concern about equal sets with different orders?

Thanks in advance.

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