In mathematics, the Hausdorff maximal principle is an alternate and earlier formulation of Zorn's lemma proved by Felix Hausdorff in 1914 (Moore 1982:168). It states that in any partially ordered set, every totally ordered subset is contained in a maximal totally ordered subset, where "maximal" is with respect to set inclusion.
In mathemat:ics, the Hausdorff maximal principle is an alternate and earlier formulation of Zorn's lemma proved by Felix Hausdorff in 1914 (Moore 1982168). It states that in any partially ordered set, every totally ordered subset is contained in a maximal totally ordered subset, where "maximal" is with respect to set inclusion.