In mathematics, theDushnik–Miller theorem is a result inorder theory stating that everycountably infinitelinear order has a non-identityorder embedding into itself.[1] It is named for Ben Dushnik and E. W. Miller, who proved this result in a paper of 1940; in the same paper, they showed that the statement does not always hold foruncountable linear orders, using theaxiom of choice to build a suborder of thereal line ofcardinalitycontinuum with no non-identity order embeddings into itself.[2]
Inreverse mathematics, the Dushnik–Miller theorem for countable linear orders has the same strength as thearithmetical comprehension axiom (ACA0), one of the "big five" subsystems ofsecond-order arithmetic.[1][3] This result is closely related to the fact that (asLouise Hay and Joseph Rosenstein proved) there existcomputable linear orders with no computable non-identity self-embedding.[3][4]