Hybrid Deduction–Refutation Systems

Abstract

Hybrid deduction–refutation systems are deductive systems intended to derive both valid and non-valid, i.e., semantically refutable, formulae of a given logical system, by employing together separate derivability operators for each of these and combining ‘hybrid derivation rules’ that involve both deduction and refutation. The goal of this paper is to develop a basic theory and ‘meta-proof’ theory of hybrid deduction–refutation systems. I then illustrate the concept on a hybrid derivation system of natural deduction for classical propositional logic, for which I show soundness and completeness for both deductions and refutations.

Keywords

• deductive refutability
• refutation systems
• hybrid deduction–refutation rules
• derivative hybrid rules
• soundness
• completeness
• natural deduction
• meta-proof theory