English

Proof Verification Can Be Hard!

Logic in Computer Science 2017-03-28 v1 Computational Complexity

Abstract

The generally accepted wisdom in computational circles is that pure proof verification is a solved problem and that the computationally hard elements and fertile areas of study lie in proof discovery. This wisdom presumably does hold for conventional proof systems such as first-order logic with a standard proof calculus such as natural deduction or resolution. But this folk belief breaks down when we consider more user-friendly/powerful inference rules. One such rule is the restricted {\omega}-rule, which is not even semi-decidable when added to a standard proof calculus of a nice theory. While presumably not a novel result, we feel that the hardness of proof verification is under-appreciated in most communities that deal with proofs. A proof-sketch follows.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1703.08746,
  title  = {Proof Verification Can Be Hard!},
  author = {Naveen Sundar Govindarajulu and Selmer Bringsjord},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1703.08746},
  year   = {2017}
}

Comments

Short abstract presented at CiE 2014

R2 v1 2026-06-22T18:56:55.934Z