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arxiv: 2606.31868 · v1 · pith:OJRXZ3M4new · submitted 2026-06-30 · 💻 cs.LO

Labelled Sequents for Inquisitive First-Order Modal Logic

Ivano Ciardelli (University of Padua) , Simone Conti (University of Padua) This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-07-01 03:07 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 💻 cs.LO
keywords inquisitive logicmodal logicsequent calculuslabelled sequentscompletenesscut admissibilityfirst-order logic
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The pith

A labelled sequent calculus is complete for inquisitive first-order modal logic and admits cut.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper constructs a proof system for a logic that captures modal dependence relations such as global supervenience among predicate extensions across possibilities. It extends an existing labelled sequent calculus for a weaker inquisitive first-order logic by adding rules for modal operators. Strong completeness is shown for the full system, together with the invertibility of all rules and the admissibility of cut. This supplies a syntactic method for establishing validities in the logic without relying solely on semantic arguments.

Core claim

We provide a complete labelled sequent calculus for inquisitive first-order modal logic, extending a calculus developed for a weak version of inquisitive first-order logic. We prove strong completeness for the calculus and show that it enjoys desirable structural properties, including the invertibility of its rules and the admissibility of cut.

What carries the argument

The labelled sequent calculus that tracks accessibility and dependence via labels and extends prior rules to full modal operators.

If this is right

  • Every valid formula in the logic has a finite derivation in the calculus.
  • All rules can be applied in either direction during proof search.
  • Cut elimination holds, so derivations can be restricted to cut-free proofs.
  • The system supports systematic enumeration of theorems.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The calculus could support implementation of a decision procedure or automated prover for dependence statements.
  • Similar labelled extensions might be attempted for other variants of inquisitive modal logics with different dependence atoms.

Load-bearing premise

Adding the modal rules to the existing calculus preserves completeness and does not create gaps or allow derivation of invalid formulas.

What would settle it

A concrete formula valid under inquisitive first-order modal semantics that the calculus fails to prove, or an invalid formula that the calculus derives.

read the original abstract

In recent work, an inquisitive first-order modal logic has been proposed to reason about relations of modal dependence, including the notion of global supervenience (functional dependence among the extensions of predicates relative to a space of possibilities). At present, no proof system exists for this logic. We provide a complete labelled sequent calculus, extending a calculus developed by Litak and Sano for a weak version of inquisitive first-order logic. We prove strong completeness for the calculus and show that it enjoys desirable structural properties, including the invertibility of its rules and the admissibility of cut.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

1 major / 0 minor

Summary. The manuscript presents a labelled sequent calculus for inquisitive first-order modal logic by extending the calculus developed by Litak and Sano for a weak version of inquisitive first-order logic. It claims to prove strong completeness for the calculus and to establish structural properties including the invertibility of its rules and the admissibility of cut.

Significance. If the claimed results hold, the work would supply the first proof system for this logic, supporting formal reasoning about modal dependence relations such as global supervenience. Extending labelled sequent methods in this way aligns with standard techniques in modal logic and would be a useful addition if the completeness argument is verified.

major comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract: the abstract asserts proofs of strong completeness and structural properties, but without access to the full derivations, rule definitions, or any verification details, the support for the claims cannot be assessed.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for their review. We address the single major comment below, clarifying that the full manuscript supplies the requested details.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: the abstract asserts proofs of strong completeness and structural properties, but without access to the full derivations, rule definitions, or any verification details, the support for the claims cannot be assessed.

    Authors: The manuscript defines the labelled sequent rules in Section 3. Strong completeness (via canonical model construction and truth lemma) is proved in full in Section 4. Rule invertibility appears in Section 5.1 and cut admissibility in Section 5.2. These sections contain the complete derivations and verification details that support the abstract's summary. The full text is available on arXiv. revision: no

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity; derivation extends external prior work

full rationale

The paper's core contribution is a labelled sequent calculus obtained by extending the system of Litak and Sano (distinct authors) for a weaker logic, followed by a standard strong-completeness proof and verification of structural properties such as rule invertibility and cut admissibility. No self-definitional equations, fitted inputs renamed as predictions, or load-bearing self-citations appear in the abstract or description. The cited foundation is external and the methods are conventional proof-theoretic extensions, rendering the derivation self-contained against the referenced prior calculus.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

Only the abstract is available; no specific free parameters, axioms, or invented entities can be identified from the provided text.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.1-grok · 5625 in / 989 out tokens · 40853 ms · 2026-07-01T03:07:33.395700+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

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Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

33 extracted references · 30 canonical work pages

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