Alpha-structural recursion and induction

  • Authors:
  • Andrew M. Pitts

  • Affiliations:
  • Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

  • Venue:
  • TPHOLs'05 Proceedings of the 18th international conference on Theorem Proving in Higher Order Logics
  • Year:
  • 2005

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Abstract

There is growing evidence for the usefulness of name permutations when dealing with syntax involving names and name-binding. In particular they facilitate an attractively simple formalisation of common, but often technically incorrect uses of structural recursion and induction for abstract syntax trees modulo α-equivalence. At the heart of this formalisation is the notion of finitely supported mathematical objects. This paper explains the idea in as concrete a way as possible and gives a new derivation within higher-order logic of principles of α-structural recursion and induction for α-equivalence classes from the ordinary versions of these principles for abstract syntax trees.