TITLE: Is there a ground between Set Theory and Group Theory/Algebra?
QUESTION [12 upvotes]: It is well known that there are strong links between Set Theory and Topology/Real Analysis.
For instance, the study of Suslin's Problem turns out to be a set theoretic problem, even though it started in topology: namely, whether $\mathbb{R}$ is the only complete dense unbounded linearly ordered set that satisfies the c.c.c.
Another instance is when we see that what's behind extending Lebesgue Measure is really the theory of large cardinals, with the introduction of measurable cardinals. Also another example of a real analysis problem that ends up in Set Theory is whether every set of reals is measurable. So the links are clear between Set Theory and Topology/Real analysis.
My question is this: are there links, as strong as the ones I roughly described in the last paragraph, between Set Theory and Abstract Algebra? The only example I know of is the Set Theoretic solution to the famous Whitehead Problem by Shelah (namely that if $V=L$ then every Whitehead group is free and if MA+$\neg$CH then there is a Whitehead group which is not free).
Can we hope to discover more of these type of links between Set Theory and Abstract Algebra? In contrast, Model Theory seems to be strongly grounded in Abstract algebra. I have seen that Shelah has some papers about uncountable free Abelian groups but he seems to be the only one investigating some areas of Abstract Algebra with the help of Set Theory. So again is there hope for links?

REPLY [6 votes]: It turns out that when it comes to infinite groups/modules, some algebraic concepts are deeply connected to the underlying set theory (for example, the notion of freeness, the structure of Ext, etc).
A good reference for this subject is the book "Almost free modules"  by Eklof and Mekler. This book introduces the works of Shelah, Gobel, Eklof and many other important contributors in this field. This research has also led to some interesting developments in "pure" set theory, such as the introduction of black-boxes by Shelah (some diamond-like combinatorial principles which can be proved in ZFC alone, and allow the construction of many interesting algebraic objects).