First-order logic with inductive definitions for model-based problem solving

Abstract

In answer set programming (ASP), programs can be viewed as specifications of finite Herbrand structures. Other logics can be (and, in fact, were) used toward the same end and can be taken as the basis of declarative programming systems of similar functionality as ASP. We discuss here one such logic, the logic FO(ID), and its implementation IDP3. The choice is motivated by notable similarities between ASP and FO(ID), even if both approaches trace back to different origins.