proof of alternative characterization of filter
First, suppose that is a filter. We shall show that, forany two elements and of , it is the case that if and only if and .
By the definition of filter, if and then . Since and is a filter, implies . Likewise, implies .
Next, we shall show that any proper subset of the powerset
of such that if and only if and is a filter.
If the empty set were to belong to then for any , we would have . This would imply that every subset of belongs to, contrary to our hypothesis
that is a propersubset of the power set of .
If and , then . By our hypothesis, .
The third defining property of a filter — If and then — is part of ourhypothesis.