Formulas as Programs

We provide here a computational interpretation of first-order logic based on a constructive interpretation of satisfiability w.r.t. a fixed but arbitrary interpretation. In this approach the formulas themselves are programs. This contrasts with the so-called formulas as types approach in which the proofs of the formulas are typed terms that can be taken as programs. This view of computing is inspired by logic programming and constraint logic programming but differs from them in a number of crucial aspects. Formulas as programs is argued to yield a realistic approach to programming that has been realized in the implemented programming language ALMA-0 (Apt et al.) that combines the advantages of imperative and logic programming. The work here reported can also be used to reason about the correctness of non-recursive ALMA-0 programs that do not include destructive assignment.Comment: 34 pages, appears in: The Logic Programming Paradigm: a 25 Years Perspective, K.R. Apt, V. Marek, M. Truszczynski and D.S. Warren (eds), Springer-Verlag, Artificial Intelligence Serie

Type Theory with Explicit Universe Polymorphism

The aim of this paper is to refine and extend proposals by Sozeau and Tabareau and by Voevodsky for universe polymorphism in type theory. In those systems judgments can depend on explicit constraints between universe levels. We here present a system where we also have products indexed by universe levels and by constraints. Our theory has judgments for internal universe levels, built up from level variables by a successor operation and a binary supremum operation, and also judgments for equality of universe levels

A Normalizing Computation Rule for Propositional Extensionality in Higher-Order Minimal Logic

The univalence axiom expresses the principle of extensionality for dependent type theory. However, if we simply add the univalence axiom to type theory, then we lose the property of canonicity - that every closed term computes to a canonical form. A computation becomes "stuck" when it reaches the point that it needs to evaluate a proof term that is an application of the univalence axiom. So we wish to find a way to compute with the univalence axiom. While this problem has been solved with the formulation of cubical type theory, where the computations are expressed using a nominal extension of lambda-calculus, it may be interesting to explore alternative solutions, which do not require such an extension. As a first step, we present here a system of propositional higher-order minimal logic (PHOML). There are three kinds of typing judgement in PHOML. There are terms which inhabit types, which are the simple types over Omega. There are proofs which inhabit propositions, which are the terms of type Omega. The canonical propositions are those constructed from false by implication. Thirdly, there are paths which inhabit equations M =_A N, where M and N are terms of type A. There are two ways to prove an equality: reflexivity, and propositional extensionality - logically equivalent propositions are equal. This system allows for some definitional equalities that are not present in cubical type theory, namely that transport along the trivial path is identity. We present a call-by-name reduction relation for this system, and prove that the system satisfies canonicity: every closed typable term head-reduces to a canonical form. This work has been formalised in Agda

Construction of the circle in UniMath

We show that the type TZ of Z-torsors has the dependent universal property of the circle, which characterizes it up to a unique homotopy equivalence. The construction uses Voevodsky’s Univalence Axiom and propositional truncation, yielding a standalone construction of the circle not using higher inductive types.publishedVersio

Type Theories with Explicit Universe Polymorphism

The aim of this paper is to refine and extend proposals by Sozeau and Tabareau and by Voevodsky for universe polymorphism in type theory. In those systems judgments can depend on explicit constraints between universe levels. We here present a system where we also have products indexed by universe levels and by constraints. Our theory has judgments for internal universe levels, built up from level variables by a successor operation and a binary supremum operation, and also judgments for equality of universe levels.Comment: This paper was presented at Types'2022 and has been submitted to its postconference proceeding