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Formalization of the Resolution Calculus for First-Order Logic

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Abstract

I present a formalization in Isabelle/HOL of the resolution calculus for first-order logic with formal soundness and completeness proofs. To prove the calculus sound, I use the substitution lemma, and to prove it complete, I use Herbrand interpretations and semantic trees. The correspondence between unsatisfiable sets of clauses and finite semantic trees is formalized in Herbrand’s theorem. I discuss the difficulties that I had formalizing proofs of the lifting lemma found in the literature, and I formalize a correct proof. The completeness proof is by induction on the size of a finite semantic tree. Throughout the paper I emphasize details that are often glossed over in paper proofs. I give a thorough overview of formalizations of first-order logic found in the literature. The formalization of resolution is part of the IsaFoL project, which is an effort to formalize logics in Isabelle/HOL.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Jørgen Villadsen, Jasmin Christian Blanchette, and Dmitriy Traytel who supervised me in making the formalization. I would also like to thank Jørgen, Jasmin, John Bruntse Larsen, Andreas Halkjær From, and the anonymous referees for their valuable feedback on the paper.

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    Anders Schlichtkrull

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Schlichtkrull, A. Formalization of the Resolution Calculus for First-Order Logic. J Autom Reasoning 61, 455–484 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10817-017-9447-z

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