Given an infinite poset of a certain cardinality, does it contains always a chain or antichain of the same cardinality?

Solution 1:

In fact, there is a negative answer provable in ZFC. Since we have choice, well-order the interval $[0,1]$. Then let $x\sqsubset y$ if and only if the well-order agrees with the standard order of the reals and $x<y$. Then $[0,1]$ with the ordering $\sqsubset$ is an uncountable poset with neither an uncountable chain nor an uncountable anti-chain.

Consider any uncountable $S\subseteq[0,1]$. Let $z$ be the infimum of the set $$\{x\in [0,1]|\text{ there are uncountably many }y<x\text{ with }y\in S\}$$ $S$ cannot be a chain since otherwise, a countable increasing sequence of elements of $S$ converging to $z$ would be cofinal in $\omega_1$.

Similarly, we can take $w$ to be the supremum of the set $$\{x\in [0,1]|\text{ there are uncountably many }y>x\text{ with }y\in S\}$$ Then if $S$ was an anti-chain, then a countable decreasing sequence (according to the standard ordering of the reals) in $S$ would again be cofinal in $\omega_1$.

Solution 2:

A Suslin tree is a poset (in fact, a tree) that has cardinality $\omega_1$ but every chain and every antichain is countable. The existence of a Suslin tree is neither provable nor disprovable in ZFC. Therefore, your question does not have an affirmitive answer provable in ZFC.

I do not know whether it has a negative answer (using something other than Suslin trees) provable in ZFC. Aubrey da Cunha has given a proof that the answer to the question is "no". That answer should be accepted over this one.