About deductive generalization

Abstract

In this paper, we compare several forms of deductive generalization from positive and negative examples. We show that there exist cases where the logical conditions under which such paradigms can take place just appear too restrictive and somewhat counter-intuitive. Moreover, some of these conditions, which can be checked in an efficient way, also prove useful when satisfied since they sometimes allow one to prune the space of potential generalizations. Departing from a standard logical framework, we then show how an intuitionistic account of deductive generalization relaxes those conditions to make them more natural.