Tags:countermodel construction, forward proof-search, intuitionistic propositional logic, inverse method, kripke model and sequent calculi
Abstract:
The inverse method is a saturation based theorem proving technique; it relies on a forward proof-search strategy and can be applied to cut-free calculi enjoying the subformula property. Here we apply this method to derive the unprovability of a goal formula G in Intuitionistic Propositional Logic. To this aim we design a forward calculus FRJ(G) for Intuitionistic unprovability which is prone to constructively ascertain the unprovability of a formula G by providing a concise countermodel for it; in particular we prove that the generated countermodels have minimal height. Moreover, we clarify the role of the saturated database obtained as result of a failed proof-search in FRJ(G) by showing how to extract from such a database a derivation witnessing the Intuitionistic validity of the goal.
A Forward Calculus for Countermodel Construction in IPL