In this paper we examine the problem of providing a purely extensional three-valued semantics for higher-order logic programs with negation. We demonstrate that a technique that was proposed by M. Bezem for providing extensional semantics to positive higher-order logic programs, fails when applied to higher-order logic programs with negation. On the positive side, we demonstrate that for stratified higher-order logic programs, extensionality is indeed achieved by the technique. We analyze the reasons of the failure of extensionality in the general case, arguing that a three-valued setting can not distinguish between certain predicates that appear to have a different behaviour inside a program context, but which happen to be identical as three-valued relations.

Abstract We define a novel, extensional, three-valued semantics for higher-order logic programs with negation. The new semantics is based on interpreting the types of the source language as three-valued Fitting-monotonic functions at all levels of the type hierarchy. We prove that there exists a bijection between such Fitting-monotonic functions and pairs of two-valued-result functions where the first member of the pair is monotone-antimonotone and the second member is antimonotone-monotone. By deriving an extension ofconsistent approximation fixpoint theory(Deneckeret al.2004) and utilizing the above bijection, we define an iterative procedure that produces for any given higher-order logic program a distinguished extensional model. We demonstrate that this model is actually aminimalone. Moreover, we prove that our construction generalizes the familiar well-founded semantics for classical logic programs, making in this way our proposal an appealing formulation for capturing thewell-founded semantics for higher-order logic programs.

Abstract M. Bezem defined an extensional semantics for positive higher-order logic programs. Recently, it was demonstrated by Rondogiannis and Symeonidou that Bezem's technique can be extended to higher-order logic programs with negation, retaining its extensional properties, provided that it is interpreted under a logic with an infinite number of truth values. Rondogiannis and Symeonidou also demonstrated that Bezem's technique, when extended under the stable model semantics, does not in general lead to extensional stable models. In this paper, we consider the problem of extending Bezem's technique under the well-founded semantics. We demonstrate that the well-founded extensionfailsto retain extensionality in the general case. On the positive side, we demonstrate that for stratified higher-order logic programs, extensionality is indeed achieved. We analyze the reasons of the failure of extensionality in the general case, arguing that a three-valued setting cannot distinguish between certain predicates that appear to have a different behaviour inside a program context, but which happen to be identical as three-valued relations.