3,649 research outputs found
On Equivalence and Canonical Forms in the LF Type Theory
Decidability of definitional equality and conversion of terms into canonical
form play a central role in the meta-theory of a type-theoretic logical
framework. Most studies of definitional equality are based on a confluent,
strongly-normalizing notion of reduction. Coquand has considered a different
approach, directly proving the correctness of a practical equivalance algorithm
based on the shape of terms. Neither approach appears to scale well to richer
languages with unit types or subtyping, and neither directly addresses the
problem of conversion to canonical.
In this paper we present a new, type-directed equivalence algorithm for the
LF type theory that overcomes the weaknesses of previous approaches. The
algorithm is practical, scales to richer languages, and yields a new notion of
canonical form sufficient for adequate encodings of logical systems. The
algorithm is proved complete by a Kripke-style logical relations argument
similar to that suggested by Coquand. Crucially, both the algorithm itself and
the logical relations rely only on the shapes of types, ignoring dependencies
on terms.Comment: 41 page
Orbit decidability, applications and variations
We present the notion of orbit decidability into a more general framework,
exploring interesting generalizations and variations of this algorithmic
problem. A recent theorem by Bogopolski-Martino-Ventura gave a renovated
protagonism to this notion and motivated several interesting algebraic
applications
Timed Comparisons of Semi-Markov Processes
Semi-Markov processes are Markovian processes in which the firing time of the
transitions is modelled by probabilistic distributions over positive reals
interpreted as the probability of firing a transition at a certain moment in
time. In this paper we consider the trace-based semantics of semi-Markov
processes, and investigate the question of how to compare two semi-Markov
processes with respect to their time-dependent behaviour. To this end, we
introduce the relation of being "faster than" between processes and study its
algorithmic complexity. Through a connection to probabilistic automata we
obtain hardness results showing in particular that this relation is
undecidable. However, we present an additive approximation algorithm for a
time-bounded variant of the faster-than problem over semi-Markov processes with
slow residence-time functions, and a coNP algorithm for the exact faster-than
problem over unambiguous semi-Markov processes
Refinement Types for Logical Frameworks and Their Interpretation as Proof Irrelevance
Refinement types sharpen systems of simple and dependent types by offering
expressive means to more precisely classify well-typed terms. We present a
system of refinement types for LF in the style of recent formulations where
only canonical forms are well-typed. Both the usual LF rules and the rules for
type refinements are bidirectional, leading to a straightforward proof of
decidability of typechecking even in the presence of intersection types.
Because we insist on canonical forms, structural rules for subtyping can now be
derived rather than being assumed as primitive. We illustrate the expressive
power of our system with examples and validate its design by demonstrating a
precise correspondence with traditional presentations of subtyping. Proof
irrelevance provides a mechanism for selectively hiding the identities of terms
in type theories. We show that LF refinement types can be interpreted as
predicates using proof irrelevance, establishing a uniform relationship between
two previously studied concepts in type theory. The interpretation and its
correctness proof are surprisingly complex, lending support to the claim that
refinement types are a fundamental construct rather than just a convenient
surface syntax for certain uses of proof irrelevance
First Order Theories of Some Lattices of Open Sets
We show that the first order theory of the lattice of open sets in some
natural topological spaces is -equivalent to second order arithmetic. We
also show that for many natural computable metric spaces and computable domains
the first order theory of the lattice of effectively open sets is undecidable.
Moreover, for several important spaces (e.g., , , and the
domain ) this theory is -equivalent to first order arithmetic
On Irrelevance and Algorithmic Equality in Predicative Type Theory
Dependently typed programs contain an excessive amount of static terms which
are necessary to please the type checker but irrelevant for computation. To
separate static and dynamic code, several static analyses and type systems have
been put forward. We consider Pfenning's type theory with irrelevant
quantification which is compatible with a type-based notion of equality that
respects eta-laws. We extend Pfenning's theory to universes and large
eliminations and develop its meta-theory. Subject reduction, normalization and
consistency are obtained by a Kripke model over the typed equality judgement.
Finally, a type-directed equality algorithm is described whose completeness is
proven by a second Kripke model.Comment: 36 pages, superseds the FoSSaCS 2011 paper of the first author,
titled "Irrelevance in Type Theory with a Heterogeneous Equality Judgement
Review of 'The Outer Limits of Reason' by Noson Yanofsky 403p (2013) (review revised 2019)
I give a detailed review of 'The Outer Limits of Reason' by Noson Yanofsky from a unified perspective of Wittgenstein and evolutionary psychology. I indicate that the difficulty with such issues as paradox in language and math, incompleteness, undecidability, computability, the brain and the universe as computers etc., all arise from the failure to look carefully at our use of language in the appropriate context and hence the failure to separate issues of scientific fact from issues of how language works. I discuss Wittgenstein's views on incompleteness, paraconsistency and undecidability and the work of Wolpert on the limits to computation. To sum it up: The Universe According to Brooklyn---Good Science, Not So Good Philosophy.
Those wishing a comprehensive up to date framework for human behavior from the modern two systems view may consult my book ‘The Logical Structure of Philosophy, Psychology, Mind and Language in Ludwig Wittgenstein and John Searle’ 2nd ed (2019). Those interested in more of my writings may see ‘Talking Monkeys--Philosophy, Psychology, Science, Religion and Politics on a Doomed Planet--Articles and Reviews 2006-2019 3rd ed (2019) and Suicidal Utopian Delusions in the 21st Century 4th ed (2019
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