Variations on Algebra: monadicity and generalisations of equational theories

Dedicated to Rod Burstal

Category theoretic semantics for theorem proving in logic programming: embracing the laxness

A propositional logic program P may be identified with aP f P f -coalgebra on the set of atomic propositions in the program. Thecorresponding C(P f P f )-coalgebra, where C(P f P f ) is the cofree comonadon P f P f , describes derivations by resolution. Using lax semantics, thatcorrespondence may be extended to a class of first-order logic programswithout existential variables. The resulting extension captures the proofsby term-matching resolution in logic programming. Refining the lax ap-proach, we further extend it to arbitrary logic programs. We also exhibita refinement of Bonchi and Zanasi’s saturation semantics for logic pro-gramming that complements lax semantics.<br/

Category theoretic semantics for theorem proving in logic programming: embracing the laxness

A propositional logic program $P$ may be identified with a $P_fP_f$-coalgebra on the set of atomic propositions in the program. The corresponding $C(P_fP_f)$-coalgebra, where $C(P_fP_f)$ is the cofree comonad on $P_fP_f$, describes derivations by resolution. Using lax semantics, that correspondence may be extended to a class of first-order logic programs without existential variables. The resulting extension captures the proofs by term-matching resolution in logic programming. Refining the lax approach, we further extend it to arbitrary logic programs. We also exhibit a refinement of Bonchi and Zanasi's saturation semantics for logic programming that complements lax semantics.Comment: 20 pages, CMCS 201

Logic programming:Laxness and saturation

A propositional logic program P may be identified with a P f P f -coalgebra on the set of atomic propositions in the program. The corresponding C(P f P f )-coalgebra, where C(P f P f ) is the cofree comonad on P f P f , describes derivations by resolution. That correspondence has been developed to model first-order programs in two ways, with lax semantics and saturated semantics, based on locally ordered categories and right Kan extensions respectively. We unify the two approaches, exhibiting them as complementary rather than competing, reflecting the theorem-proving and proof-search aspects of logic programming. While maintaining that unity, we further refine lax semantics to give finitary models of logic programs with existential variables, and to develop a precise semantic relationship between variables in logic programming and worlds in local state

Categorical Term Rewriting: Monads and Modularity

Laboratory for Foundations of Computer ScienceTerm rewriting systems are widely used throughout computer science as they provide an abstract model of computation while retaining a comparatively simple syntax and semantics. In order to reason within large term rewriting systems, structuring operations are used to build large term rewriting systems from smaller ones. Of particular interest is whether key properties are modular, that is, if the components of a structured term rewriting system satisfy a property, then does the term rewriting system as a whole? A body of literature addresses this problem, but most of the results and proofs depend on strong syntactic conditions and do not easily generalize. Although many specific modularity results are known, a coherent framework which explains the underlying principles behind these results is lacking. This thesis posits that part of the problem is the usual, concrete and syntax-oriented semantics of term rewriting systems, and that a semantics is needed which on the one hand elides unnecessary syntactic details but on the other hand still possesses enough expressive power to model the key concepts arising from the term structure, such as substitutions, layers, redexes etc. Drawing on the concepts of category theory, such a semantics is proposed, based on the concept of a monad, generalising the very elegant treatment of equational presentations in category theory. The theoretical basis of this work is the theory of enriched monads. It is shown how structuring operations are modelled on the level of monads, and that the semantics is compositional (it preserves the structuring operations). Modularity results can now be obtained directly at the level of combining monads without recourse to the syntax at all. As an application and demonstration of the usefulness of this approach, two modularity results for the disjoint union of two term rewriting systems are proven, the modularity of confluence (Toyama's theorem) and the modularity of strong normalization for a particular class of term rewriting systems (non-collapsing term rewriting systems). The proofs in the categorical setting provide a mild generalisation of these results