Maximality of logic without identity

Abstract

Lindstr\"om theorem obviously fails as a characterization of $\mathcal{L}_{\omega \omega}^{-} $, first-order logic without identity. In this note we provide a fix: we show that $\mathcal{L}_{\omega \omega}^{-} $ is \emph{maximal} among abstract logics satisfying a weak form of the isomorphism property (suitable for identity-free languages and studied in \cite{Casa}), the L\"owenheim--Skolem property, and compactness. Furthermore, we show that compactness can be replaced by being recursively enumerable for validity under certain conditions. In the proofs we use a form of strong upwards L\"owenheim--Skolem theorem not available in the framework with identity.