English

On the logical structure of choice and bar induction principles

Logic in Computer Science 2026-01-26 v4

Abstract

We develop an approach to choice principles and their contrapositive bar-induction principles as extensionality schemes connecting an ''intensional'' or ''effective'' view of respectively ill-and well-foundedness properties to an ''extensional'' or ''ideal'' view of these properties. After classifying and analysing the relations between different intensional definitions of ill-foundedness and well-foundedness, we introduce, for a domain AA, a codomain BB and a ''filter'' TT on finite approximations of functions from AA to BB, a generalised form GDCA,B,T_{A,B,T} of the axiom of dependent choice and dually a generalised bar induction principle GBIA,B,T_{A,B,T} such that: - GDCA,B,T_{A,B,T} intuitionistically captures the strength of \bullet the general axiom of choice expressed as aβR(a,b)αaR(α,(aα(a)))\forall a\exists\beta R(a, b) \Rightarrow\exists\alpha\forall a R(\alpha,(a \alpha (a))) when TT is a filter that derives point-wise from a relation RR on AxBA x B without introducing further constraints, \bullet the Boolean Prime Filter Theorem / Ultrafilter Theorem if BB is the two-element set B\mathbb{B} (for a constructive definition of prime filter), \bullet the axiom of dependent choice if A=NA = \mathbb{N}, \bullet Weak K{\"o}nig's Lemma if A=NA = \mathbb{N} and B=BB = \mathbb{B} (up to weak classical reasoning) - GBIA,B,T_{A,B,T} intuitionistically captures the strength of \bullet G{\"o}del's completeness theorem in the form validity implies provability for entailment relations if B=BB = \mathbb{B}, \bullet bar induction when A=NA = \mathbb{N}, \bullet the Weak Fan Theorem when A=NA = \mathbb{N} and B=BB = \mathbb{B}. Contrastingly, even though GDCA,B,T_{A,B,T} and GBIA,B,T_{A,B,T} smoothly capture several variants of choice and bar induction, some instances are inconsistent, e.g. when AA is BN\mathbb{B}^\mathbb{N} and BB is N\mathbb{N}.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2105.08951,
  title  = {On the logical structure of choice and bar induction principles},
  author = {Nuria Brede and Hugo Herbelin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2105.08951},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

LICS 2021 - 36th Annual Symposium on Logic in Computer Science, Jun 2021, Rome / Virtual, Italy