135 research outputs found
The Epsilon Calculus and Herbrand Complexity
Hilbert's epsilon-calculus is based on an extension of the language of
predicate logic by a term-forming operator . Two fundamental
results about the epsilon-calculus, the first and second epsilon theorem, play
a role similar to that which the cut-elimination theorem plays in sequent
calculus. In particular, Herbrand's Theorem is a consequence of the epsilon
theorems. The paper investigates the epsilon theorems and the complexity of the
elimination procedure underlying their proof, as well as the length of Herbrand
disjunctions of existential theorems obtained by this elimination procedure.Comment: 23 p
Semantics and Proof Theory of the Epsilon Calculus
The epsilon operator is a term-forming operator which replaces quantifiers in
ordinary predicate logic. The application of this undervalued formalism has
been hampered by the absence of well-behaved proof systems on the one hand, and
accessible presentations of its theory on the other. One significant early
result for the original axiomatic proof system for the epsilon-calculus is the
first epsilon theorem, for which a proof is sketched. The system itself is
discussed, also relative to possible semantic interpretations. The problems
facing the development of proof-theoretically well-behaved systems are
outlined.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1411.362
Expansion Trees with Cut
Herbrand's theorem is one of the most fundamental insights in logic. From the
syntactic point of view it suggests a compact representation of proofs in
classical first- and higher-order logic by recording the information which
instances have been chosen for which quantifiers, known in the literature as
expansion trees.
Such a representation is inherently analytic and hence corresponds to a
cut-free sequent calculus proof. Recently several extensions of such proof
representations to proofs with cut have been proposed. These extensions are
based on graphical formalisms similar to proof nets and are limited to prenex
formulas.
In this paper we present a new approach that directly extends expansion trees
by cuts and covers also non-prenex formulas. We describe a cut-elimination
procedure for our expansion trees with cut that is based on the natural
reduction steps. We prove that it is weakly normalizing using methods from the
epsilon-calculus
On Natural Deduction in Classical First-Order Logic: Curry-Howard Correspondence, Strong Normalization and Herbrand's Theorem
International audienceWe present a new Curry-Howard correspondence for classical first-order natural deduction. We add to the lambda calculus an operator which represents, from the viewpoint of programming, a mechanism for raising and catching multiple exceptions, and from the viewpoint of logic, the excluded middle over arbitrary prenex formulas. The machinery will allow to extend the idea of learning -- originally developed in Arithmetic -- to pure logic. We prove that our typed calculus is strongly normalizing and show that proof terms for simply existential statements reduce to a list of individual terms forming a Herbrand disjunction. A by-product of our approach is a natural-deduction proof and a computational interpretation of Herbrand's Theorem
Hilbert's Program Then and Now
Hilbert's program was an ambitious and wide-ranging project in the philosophy
and foundations of mathematics. In order to "dispose of the foundational
questions in mathematics once and for all, "Hilbert proposed a two-pronged
approach in 1921: first, classical mathematics should be formalized in
axiomatic systems; second, using only restricted, "finitary" means, one should
give proofs of the consistency of these axiomatic systems. Although Godel's
incompleteness theorems show that the program as originally conceived cannot be
carried out, it had many partial successes, and generated important advances in
logical theory and meta-theory, both at the time and since. The article
discusses the historical background and development of Hilbert's program, its
philosophical underpinnings and consequences, and its subsequent development
and influences since the 1930s.Comment: 43 page
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