Normalization Without Syntax

We present normalization for intuitionistic combinatorial proofs (ICPs) and relate it to the simply-typed lambda-calculus. We prove confluence and strong normalization. Combinatorial proofs, or "proofs without syntax", form a graphical semantics of proof in various logics that is canonical yet complexity-aware: they are a polynomial-sized representation of sequent proofs that factors out exactly the non-duplicating permutations. Our approach to normalization aligns with these characteristics: it is canonical (free of permutations) and generic (readily applied to other logics). Our reduction mechanism is a canonical representation of reduction in sequent calculus with closed cuts (no abstraction is allowed below a cut), and relates to closed reduction in lambda-calculus and supercombinators. While we will use ICPs concretely, the notion of reduction is completely abstract, and can be specialized to give a reduction mechanism for any representation of typed normal forms.

Authors

• Willem Heijltjes
• Dominic J. D. Hughes
• Lutz Straßburger

Keywords

• combinatorial proofs
• intuitionistic logic
• lambda-calculus
• Curry-Howard
• proof nets