Is there any way in Isabelle (2021) to refer to assumptions in the old apply style proofs?
In particular, I am interested in using the assumptions as facts in the OF operator so that I can do (hypothetically):
apply(rule R[OF assm1 assm4])
, where assm1 and assm4 should refer to the 1st and 4th assumptions in the current proof state.
Often times, I can arrange assumptions of the current sugboal so that R[OF assm1 assm4] is the same as the subgoal. But then, I can't finish the proof because I don't know how to refer to assm1 assm4 etc. It seems that only global theorem names are allowed with OF.
I even tried to use the subgoal_tac method on the assumptions, but it does not seem to have an option of giving names to the fact.
In the end, I have to use an automatic script such as simp, which is somewhat opaque for something so obvious. By the way, this is for learning purposes. I tried setting up simp_trace, but still couldn't replicate the effect without using simp.
Moreover,
If there is no way to refer to assumptions, is this a limitation of the tactics or a fundamental limitation of natural deduction? (i.e. Is the rewriting style of R[OF assm1 assm4] not compatible with natural deduction?)
The whole point is Isar is that you can name assumptions...
The first low-level solution is to use drule (or frule to keep the assumptions).
Here is an example:
lemma
assumes ‹⋀x y. P x ⟹ Q y ⟹ R z› ‹P x› ‹Q y›
shows ‹R z›
using assms(2-) apply -
apply (drule assms(1))
apply assumption
apply assumption
done
Look at Chapter 5 for details on the destruction/elimination/intro rules.
The second solution is subgoal:
lemma
assumes ‹⋀x y. P x ⟹ Q y ⟹ R z› ‹P x› ‹Q y›
shows ‹R z›
using assms(2-) apply -
subgoal premises p
by (rule assms(1)[OF p])
done
but this creates hard-to-read proofs if you have very deep nesting.
The third and best solution is to use Isar proofs…
Here is a version that completely avoids using names:
lemma
assumes ‹⋀x y. P x ⟹ Q y ⟹ R z› ‹P x› ‹Q y›
shows ‹R z›
using assms apply -
apply (elim meta_allE[of _ x])
apply (elim meta_allE[of _ y])
apply (drule cut_rl)
apply assumption
apply (drule cut_rl)
apply assumption
apply assumption
done
You can see how ugly this is and why you should avoid that.
There are meta symbols for implication and universal quantification in Isabelle/Pure (⟹ and ⋀), which behave differently from its HOL counterparts (∀ and →).
Is there a meta symbol for existential quantification? If not, is there a specific reason for this decision?
Pure is based on intuistionistic logic and there is no existential quantifier in this logic.
The rough equivalent is obtains:
lemma
assumes "P"
obtains x where "Q x"
The generated lemma is P ⟹ (⋀x. Q x ⟹ thesis) ⟹ thesis. It does not contain an existential quantifier, but only an implication. However it plays a similar rule: by instantiation of thesis with any other goal, you can exhibit the existence of an x such that Q x.
I am examining the following theory in Isabelle2020 /jEdit:
theory Sqrt
imports Complex_Main "HOL-Computational_Algebra.Primes"
begin
theorem
assumes "prime (p::nat)"
shows "sqrt p ∉ ℚ"
proof
from ‹prime p› have p: "1 < p" by (simp add: prime_nat_iff)
assume "sqrt p ∈ ℚ"
then obtain m n :: nat where
n: "n ≠ 0" and sqrt_rat: "¦sqrt p¦ = m / n"
and "coprime m n" by (rule Rats_abs_nat_div_natE)
[we omit the remainder of the proof]
The Output pane shows proof state:
have (⋀m n. n ≠ 0 ⟹ ¦sqrt (real p)¦ = real m / real n ⟹ coprime m n ⟹ ?thesis) ⟹ ?thesis
proof (state)
this:
n ≠ 0
¦sqrt (real p)¦ = real m / real n
coprime m n
goal (1 subgoal):
1. sqrt (real p) ∈ ℚ ⟹ False
My question is: Are those appearances of "real" a type coercion? I have read Chapter 8 discussing types in the so-called tutorial that accompanies the Isabelle distribution (title A Proof Assistant for Higher-Order Logic). I read Florian Haftman's document title Isabelle/HOL type-class hierarchy (also part of the Isabelle distribution). The rule used in the theory statements above, Rats_abs_nat_div_natE, is a lemma in the Real.thy theory.
I chased down the reference in that theory file and looked at §8.4.5 in A Proof
Assistant for Higher-Order Logic where I found that The natural
number type nat is a linearly ordered semiring, type int is an ordered ring,
and type real is an ordered field. Properties may not hold for a particular class, e.g., no abstract properties involving subtraction hold for type nat (since, of course, one might end up with a negative number, which would not be a natural number). Instead specific theorems are provided addressing subtraction on the type nat. More to the point, “all abstract properties involving division require a field." (A Proof Assistant for Higher-Order Logic.)
So, are we are seeing here a quotient type being used to lift a division of natural or integer types to the abstract real type in order to satisfy the field
requirement (see §11.9 The Isabelle/Isar Reference Manual)? The quotient type real is created from the equivalence relation definition realrel in the Real.thy file.
I was surprised to see real terms in a proof depending on primes, positive integers, and rational numbers and wanted to assure that I had at least gotten close to the explanation why this is occuring in the Isabelle proof.
The function sqrt is only defined over reals. Therefore, you need to convert its argument p from nat to real. There is a coercion that does that automatically for you; hence the real function you can.
After that, the only way to type m/n is real m / real n.
Generally, overloaded syntax is a problematic for proof assistants. For example, 2/3 on paper can be the rational number Fract 2 3 in Isabelle, the real number 2/3, or the inverse of 3 in a F_5 multiplied by two, or something else.
In Isabelle this is solved by (to a certain extend) avoiding overloading and using different notations.
I'm using Isabelle/HOL, trying to prove a statement Q. On the way to proving Q, I have proven the existence of a natural number that satisfies P::"nat=>bool". How can I create an instance x::nat that satisfies P, so that I can reference it in subsequent lemmas?
Inside any given lemma, I can do it using the obtains command. I want to reference the same witness instance in a number of different lemmas, however, so I need a way to do it outside of any lemma. I tried to use fix/assume inside a new locale, as shown below:
locale outerlocale
fixes a b c ...
begin
definition Q::bool where ...
lemma existence: "EX x. P x"
proof -
...
qed
locale innerlocale = outerlocale +
fixes x::nat
assumes "P x"
begin
(*lots of lemmas that reference x*)
lemma innerlemma0
...
lemma innerlemma7
proof -
...
qed
lemma finalinnerlemma: "Q"
proof -
...
...
qed
end (*innerlocale*)
lemma outerlemma: "Q"
proof -
(*I don't know what goes here*)
qed
end (*outerlocale)
Unfortunately this just kicks the can down the road. I need a way to use the existence lemma to extract the final inner lemma into the outer locale. If I try to interpret the inner locale, I'm once again up against the problem of supplying a witness. I can't interpret locales inside lemmas (unless I'm misunderstanding the error I get), and I can't use obtain outside of lemmas, so I'm stuck.
So it looks I need to figure out either
how to specify a witness instance outside a lemma or
how to extract a lemma from a locale by proving that locale's assumptions
Or is there a better way to do what I'm trying to do? Thanks!
You can just use SOME x. P x, e.g., in a definition:
definition my_witness :: nat where
"my_witness = (SOME x. P x)"
and then use thm someI_ex to show P my_witness.
I'm an Isabelle newbie, and I'm a little (actually, a lot) confused about the relationship between ⋀ and ∀, and between ⟹ and ⟶.
I have the following goal (which is a highly simplified version of something that I've ended up with in a real proof):
⟦⋀x. P x ⟹ P z; P y⟧ ⟹ P z
which I want to prove by specialising x with y to get ⟦P y ⟹ P z; P y⟧ ⟹ P z, and then using modus ponens. This works for proving the very similar-looking:
⟦∀x. P x ⟶ P z; P y⟧ ⟹ P z
but I can't get it to work for the goal above.
Is there a way of converting the former goal into the latter? If not, is this because they are logically different statements, in which case can someone help me understand the difference?
That the two premises !!x. P x ==> P y and ALL x. P x --> P y are logically equivalent can be shown by the following proof
lemma
"(⋀x. P x ⟹ P y) ≡ (Trueprop (∀x. P x ⟶ P y))"
by (simp add: atomize_imp atomize_all)
When I tried the same kind of reasoning for your example proof I ran into a problem however. I intended to do the following proof
lemma
"⟦⋀x. P x ⟹ P z; P y⟧ ⟹ P z"
apply (subst (asm) atomize_imp)
apply (unfold atomize_all)
apply (drule spec [of _ y])
apply (erule rev_mp)
apply assumption
done
but at unfold atomize_all I get
Failed to apply proof method:
When trying to explicitly instantiate the lemma I get a more clear error message, i.e.,
apply (unfold atomize_all [of "λx. P x ⟶ P z"])
yields
Type unification failed: Variable 'a::{} not of sort type
This I find strange, since as far as I know every type variable should be of sort type. We can solve this issue by adding an explicit sort constraint:
lemma
"⟦⋀x::_::type. P x ⟹ P z; P y⟧ ⟹ P z"
Then the proof works as shown above.
Cutting a long story short. I usually work with Isar structured proofs instead of apply scripts. Then such issues are often avoided. For your statement I would actually do
lemma
"⟦⋀x. P x ⟹ P z; P y⟧ ⟹ P z"
proof -
assume *: "⋀x. P x ⟹ P z"
and **: "P y"
from * [OF **] show ?thesis .
qed
Or maybe more idiomatic
lemma
assumes *: "⋀x. P x ⟹ P z"
and **: "P y"
shows "P z"
using * [OF **] .
C.Sternagel answered your title question "How?", which satisfied your last sentence, but I go ahead and fill in some details based on his answer, to try to "help [you] understand the difference".
It can be confusing that there is ==> and -->, meta-implication and HOL-implication, and that they both have the properties of logical implication. (I don't say much about !! and !, meta-all and HOL-all, because what's said about ==> and --> can be mostly be transferred to them.)
(NOTE: I convert graphical characters to equivalent ASCII when I can, to make sure they display correctly in all browsers.)
First, I give some references:
[1] Isabelle/Isar Reference manual.
[2] HOL/HOL.thy
[3] Logic in Computer Science, by Huth and Ryan
[4] Wiki sequent entry.
[5] Wiki intuitionistic logic entry.
If you understand a few basics, there's nothing that confusing about the fact that there is both ==> and -->. Much of the confusion departs, and what's left is just the work of digging through the details about what particular source statements mean, such as the formula of C.Sternagel's first lemma.
"(!!x. P x ==> P y) == (Trueprop (!x. P x --> P y))"
C.Sternagel stopped taking the time to give me important answers, but the formula he gives you above is similar to one he gave me a while ago, to convince me that all free variables in a formula are universally quantified.
Short answer: The difference between ==> and --> is that ==> (somewhat) plays the part of the turnstile symbol, |-, of a non-generalized sequent in which there is only one conclusion on the right-hand side. That is, ==>, the meta-logic implication operator of Isabelle/Pure, is used to define the Isabelle/HOL implication object-logic operator -->, as shown by impI in the following axiomatization in HOL.thy [2].
(*line 56*)
typedecl bool
judgment
Trueprop :: "bool => prop"
(*line 166*)
axiomatization where
impI: "(P ==> Q) ==> P-->Q" and
mp: "[| P-->Q; P |] ==> Q" and
iff: "(P-->Q) --> (Q-->P) --> (P=Q)" and
True_or_False: "(P=True) | (P=False)"
Above, I show the definition of three other axioms: mp (modus ponuns), iff, and True_or_False (law of excluded middle). I do that to repeatedly show how ==> is used to define the axioms and operators of the HOL logic. I also threw in the judgement to show that some of the sequent vocabulary is used in the language Isar.
I also show the axiom True_or_False to show that the Isabelle/HOL logic has an axiom which Isabelle/Pure doesn't have, the law of excluded middle [5]. This is huge in answering your question "what is the difference?"
It was a recent answer by A.Lochbihler that finally gave meaning, for me, to "intuitionistic" [5]. I had repeatedly seen "intuitionistic" in the Isabelle literature, but it didn't sink in.
If you can understand the differences in the next source, then you can see that there's a big difference between ==> and -->, and between types prop and bool, where prop is the type of meta-logic propositions, as opposed to bool, which is the type of the HOL logic proposition. In the HOL object-logic, False implies any proposition Q::bool. However, False::bool doesn't imply any proposition Q::prop.
The type prop is a big part of the meta-logic team !!, ==>, and ==.
theorem "(!!P. P::bool) == Trueprop (False::bool)"
by(rule equal_intr_rule, auto)
theorem HOL_False_meta_implies_any_prop_Q:
"(!!P. P::bool) ==> PROP Q"
(*Currently, trying by(auto) will hang my machine due to blast, which is know
to be a problem, and supposedly is fixed in the current repository. With
`Auto methods` on in the options, it tries `auto`, thus it will hang it.*)
oops
theorem HOL_False_meta_implies_any_bool_Q:
"(!!P. P::bool) ==> Q::bool"
by(rule meta_allE)
theorem HOL_False_obj_implies_any_bool_Q:
"(!P. P::bool) --> Q::bool"
by(auto)
When you understand that Isabelle/Pure meta-logic ==> is used to define the HOL logic, and other differences, such as that the meta-logic is weaker because of no excluded middle, then you understand that there are significant differences between the meta-operators, !!, ==>, and ==, in comparison to the HOL object-logic operators, !, -->, and =.
From here, I put in more details, partly to convince any expert that I'm not totally abusing the word sequent, where my use here is based primarily on how it's used in reference [3, Huth and Ryan].
Attempting to not write a book
I throw in some quotes and references to show that there's a relationship between sequents and ==>.
From my research, I can't see that the word "sequent" is standardized. As far as I can tell, in [3.pg 5], Huth and Ryan use "sequent" to mean a sequent which has only has one conclusion on the right-hand side.
...This intention we denote by
phi1, phi2, ..., phiN |- psi
This expression is called a sequent; it is valid if a proof can be found.
A more narrow definition of sequent, in which the right-hand side has only one conclusion, matches up very nicely with the use of ==>.
We can blame L.Paulson for confusing us by separating the meta-logic from the object-logic, though we can thank him for giving us a larger logical playground.
Maybe to keep from clashing with the common definition of a sequent, as in [4, Wiki], he uses the phrase natural deduction sequent calculus in various places in the literature. In any case, the use of ==> is completely related to implementing natural deduction rules in the logic of Isabelle/HOL.
Even with generalized sequents, L.Paulson prefers the ==> notation:
Logic and Proof course 2012-13
Course materials: see slides for his generalized sequent calculus notation
You asked about differences. I throw in some source related to C.Sternagel's answer, along with the impI axiomatization again:
(*line 166*)
axiomatization where
impI: "(P ==> Q) ==> P-->Q"
(*706*)
lemma --"atomize_all [atomize]:"
"(!!x. P x) == Trueprop (ALL x. P x)"
by(rule atomize_all)
(*715*)
lemma --"atomize_imp [atomize]:"
"(A ==> B) == Trueprop (A --> B)"
by(rule atomize_imp)
(*line 304*)
lemma --"allI:"
assumes "!!x::'a. P(x)"
shows "ALL x. P(x)"
by(auto simp only: assms allI
I put impI in structured proof format:
lemma impI_again:
assumes "P ==> Q"
shows "P --> Q"
by(simp add: assms)
Now, consider ==> to be the use of the sequent turnstile, and shows to be the sequent notation horizontal bar, then you have the following sequent:
P |- Q
-------
P --> Q
This is the natural deduction implication introduction rule, as the axiom name says, impI (Cornell Lecture 15).
The Big Guys have been on top of all of this for a long time. See [1, Section 2.1, page 27] for an overview of !!, ==>, and ==. In particular, it says
The Pure logic [38, 39] is an intuitionistic fragment of higher-order logic
[13]. In type-theoretic parlance, there are three levels of lambda-calculus with
corresponding arrows =>/!!/==>`...
One general significance of the statement is that in the use of Isabelle/HOL, you are using two logics, a meta-logic and an object-logic, where those two terms come from L.Paulson, and where "intuitionistic" is a key defining point of the meta-logic.
See also [1, Section 9.4.1, Simulating sequents by natural deduction, pg 206]. According to M.Wenzel on the IsaUsersList, L.Paulson wrote this section. On page 205, Paulson first takes the definition of a sequent to be the generalized definition. On page 206, he then shows how you can line up one type of sequent with the use of ==>, which is by negating every proposition on the right-hand side of a sequent, except for one of them.
That, by all appearances, is a horn clause, which I know nothing about.
It seems obvious to me that using ==> is the use of a limited form of sequents. In any event, that's how I think of it, and thinking that way has given me an understanding of the differences between ==> and -->, along with the fact that the meta-logic has no excluded middle.
If A.Lochbhiler wouldn't have pointed out the absence of an excluded middle, I wouldn't have seen an important difference of what's possible with ==>, and what's possible with -->.
Maybe C.Sternagel will start back again to give me some of his important answers.
Please pardon the long answer.
Others have already explained some of the reasons behind the difference between meta-logic and logic, but missed the simple tactic apply atomize:
lemma "⟦⋀(x::'a). P x ⟹ P z ; P y⟧ ⟹ P z"
apply atomize
which yields the goal:
⟦ ∀x. P x ⟶ P z; P y ⟧ ⟹ P z
as desired.
(The additional type constraint ⋀(x::'a) is required for the reasons mentioned by chris.)
There is a lot of text already, so just a few brief notes:
Isabelle/Pure is minimal-higher order logic with the main connectives ⋀ and ⟹ to lay out Natural Deduction rules in a declarative way. The system knows how to compose them by basic means, e.g. in Isar proofs, proof methods like rule, attributes like OF.
Isabelle/HOL is full higher-order logic, with the full set of predicate logic connectives, e.g. ∀ ∃ ∧ ∨ ¬ ⟶ ⟷, and much more library material. Canonical introduction rules like allI, allE, exI, exE etc. for these connectives explain formally how the reasoning works wrt. the Pure framework. HOL ∀ and ⟶ somehow correspond to Pure ⋀ and ⟹, but they are of different category and should not be thrown into the same box.
Note that apart from the basic thm command to print such theorems, it occasionally helps to use print_statement to get an Isar reading of these Natural Deduction reasoning forms.