ALL PREORDERS ARE TOTALIZABLE

TERUJI THOMAS

Abstract. In some contexts, like decision theory, it is useful to know that a

preorder can be embedded into a total preorder. I show that (subject to the
axiom of choice) this can always be done.

A preorder is a pair (S, ≤S ) where S is a set and ≤S is a reflexive, transitive,

binary relation on S. The preorder is total if x ≤S y or y ≤S x, for all x and y in
S. A totalization of (S, ≤S ) is a total preorder (S, ≤0S ) such that x ≤0S y whenever
x ≤S y.
Theorem. Every preorder has a totalization.
Suppose (S, ≤S ) is a preorder. For any A ⊂ S, we obtain a preorder (A, ≤A
S)
defined so that, for any x, y ∈ A,
x ≤A
S y ⇐⇒ x ≤S y.
Consider the set X of all preorders (A, ≤A ) such that A ⊂ S and (A, ≤A ) is a
totalization of (A, ≤AS ). Then (X, ≤X ) is a preorder, where

[(A, ≤A ) ≤X (B, ≤B )] ⇐⇒ A ⊂ B and (A, ≤A ) = (A, ≤A

 
B) .
In fact, (X, ≤X ) is a partial order : x ≤X y and y ≤X x together imply x = y.
The following two lemmas imply the theorem.
Lemma 1. X contains maximal elements.
In other words, there exists x ∈ X such that x ≤X y ⇐⇒ x = y.
Proof. Zorn’s Lemma yields the existence of maximal elements, subject to two
hypotheses. First, X must not be empty. Well, suppose A is a one-element subset
of S; then (A, ≤A
S ) lies in X. Second, consider any increasing sequence
(A1 , ≤1 ) ≤X (A2 , ≤2 ) ≤X · · ·
in X. Zorn’s Lemma requires that there exist (A, ≤A ) ∈ X with (An , ≤n ) ≤X
(A, ≤A ) for all n. Set A := ∪∞
n=1 An and define ≤A in the following way: for any
x, y ∈ A there exists some n with x, y ∈ An ; put x ≤A y ⇐⇒ x ≤n y. 
Lemma 2. If (A, ≤A ) ∈ X is maximal, then A = S.
Proof. Suppose there exists s ∈ S − A. Set B := A ∪ {s}. Define ≤B by the rules
x ≤B y ⇐⇒ x ≤A y s ≤B s
x ≤B s ⇐⇒ x ≤S s s ≤B x ⇐⇒ [s ≤S x or not x ≤S s]
for all x, y ∈ A. Then (A, ≤A ) ≤X (B, ≤B ). This contradicts the maximality of
(A, ≤A ). 

Date: 30 May 2009.

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