This thesis contains a study of the proof theory of classical logic and addresses the prob-lem of giving a computational interpretation to classical proofs. This interpretation aims to capture features of computation that go beyond what can be expressed in intuitionisticlogic. We introduce several strongly normalising cut-elimination procedures for classicallogic. Our procedures are less restrictive than previous strongly normalising procedures, while at the same time retaining the strong normalisation property, which various standardcut-elimination procedures lack. In order to apply proof techniques from term rewriting, including symmetric reducibility candidates and recursive path ordering, we develop termannotations for sequent proofs of classical logic. We then present a sequence-conclusion natural deduction calculus for classical logicand study the correspondence between cut-elimination and normalisation. In contrast to earlier work, which analysed this correspondence in various fragments of intuitionisticlogic, we establish the correspondence in classical logic. Finally, we study applications of cut-elimination. In particular, we analyse severalclassical proofs with respect to their behaviour under cut-elimination. Because our cutelimination procedures impose fewer constraints than previous procedures, we are ableto show how a fragment of classical logic can be seen as a typing system for the simplytyped lambda calculus extended with an erratic choice operator. As a pleasing conse-quence, we can give a simple computational interpretation to Lafont's example.

We present a generalisation of first-order unification to the practically important case of equations between terms involving binding operations. A substitution of terms for variables solves such an equation if it makes the equated terms #-equivalent, i.e. equal up to renaming bound names. For the applications we have in mind, we must consider the simple, textual form of substitution in which names occurring in terms may be captured within the scope of binders upon substitution. We are able to take a `nominal' approach to binding in which bound entities are explicitly named (rather than using nameless, de Bruijn-style representations) and yet get a version of this form of substitution that respects #-equivalence and possesses good algorithmic properties. We achieve this by adapting an existing idea and introducing a key new idea. The existing idea is terms involving explicit substitutions of names for names, except that here we only use explicit permutations (bijective substitutions). The key new idea is that the unification algorithm should solve not only equational problems, but also problems about the freshness of names for terms. There is a simple generalisation of the classical first-order unification algorithm to this setting which retains the latter's pleasant properties: unification problems involving #-equivalence and freshness are decidable; and solvable problems possess most general solutions.

9706572, and the US Air Force under grant F19628-95-C-0050 and a generous fellowship. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the author and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of any sponsoring institution, the U.S. government or any other entity.

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We define an operational semantics and a type system for manipulating semistructured data that contains hidden information. The data model is simple labeled trees with a hiding operator. Data manipulation is based on pattern matching, with types that track the use of hidden labels.

Abstract. Higher-order encodings use functions provided by one language to represent variable binders of another. They lead to concise and elegant representations, which historically have been difficult to analyze and manipulate. In this paper we present the ∇-calculus, a calculus for defining general recursive functions over higher-order encodings. To avoid problems commonly associated with using the same function space for representations and computations, we separate one from the other. The simply-typed λ-calculus plays the role of the representation-level. The computationlevel contains not only the usual computational primitives but also an embedding of the representation-level. It distinguishes itself from similar systems by allowing recursion under representation-level λ-binders while permitting a natural style of programming which we believe scales to other logical frameworks. Sample programs include bracket abstraction, parallel reduction, and an evaluator for a simple language with first-class continuations. 1

3 A complete example

This paper describes a calculus of partial recursive functions that range over arbitrary and possibly higher-order objects in LF [HHP93]. Its most novel features include recursion under lambda-binders and matching against dynamically introduced parameters.

By allowing the programmer to write code that can generate code at run-time, meta-programming offers a powerful approach to program construction. For instance, meta-programming can often be employed to enhance program efficiency and facilitate the construction of generic programs. However, meta-programming, especially in an untyped setting, is notoriously error-prone. In this paper, we aim at making meta-programming less error-prone by providing a type system to facilitate the construction of correct meta-programs. We first introduce some code constructors for constructing typeful code representation in which program variables are replaced with deBruijn indices, and then formally demonstrate how such typeful code representation can be used to support meta-programming. The main contribution of the paper lies in recognition and then formalization of a novel approach to typed meta-programming that is practical, general and flexible.

We consider the problem of providing formal support for working with abstract syntax involving variable binders. Gabbay and Pitts have shown in their work on Fraenkel-Mostowski (FM) set theory how to address this through first-class names: in this paper we present a dependent type theory for programming and reasoning with such names. Our development is based on a categorical axiomatisation of names, with freshness as its central notion. An associated adjunction captures constructions known from FM theory: the freshness quantifier N , name-binding, and unique choice of fresh names. The Schanuel topos --- the category underlying FM set theory --- is an instance of this axiomatisation.