Fages' Theorem and Answer Set Programming

Abstract

We generalize a theorem by Francois Fages that describes the relationship between the completion semantics and the answer set semantics for logic programs with negation as failure. The study of this relationship is important in connection with the emergence of answer set programming. Whenever the two semantics are equivalent, answer sets can be computed by a satisfiability solver, and the use of answer set solvers such as smodels and dlv is unnecessary. A logic programming representation of the blocks world due to Ilkka Niemelae is discussed as an example.