From Proof-theoretic Validity to Base-extension Semantics for Intuitionistic Propositional Logic

Abstract

Proof-theoretic semantics (P-tS) is the approach to meaning in logic based on \emph{proof} (as opposed to truth). There are two major approaches to P-tS: proof-theoretic validity (P-tV) and base-extension semantics (B-eS). The former is a semantics of arguments, and the latter is a semantics of logical constants in a logic. This paper demonstrates that the B-eS for intuitionistic propositional logic (IPL) encapsulates the declarative content of a basic version of P-tV. Such relationships have been considered before yielding incompleteness results. This paper diverges from these approaches by accounting for the constructive, hypothetical setup of P-tV. It explicates how the B-eS for IPL works