Coq used to prove that false is true
Coq, a proof system much beloved by formal methods researchers, has been used to prove that false is true. The ‘proof’ makes use of a bug in Coq, which I’m sure is being hurriedly fixed as I type.
This bug stands out from the other 4,000+ on Coq’s bug list because of what it has been used to prove; this will be a standing joke that the Coq community will have to endure for years to come. I have some sympathy for their plight, but if it results in formal methods researchers taking themselves a little less seriously and being a little more intellectually honest, then some good has come out of it.
I have had some surprising feedback about posts pointing out serious faults in claims made in papers by formal methods researchers. The feedback could be paraphrased as “They are doing important work and so these problems do not matter”. Do medical researchers get to claim whatever they like, it seems like some do like to try.
It is always worth remembering that all computer aided mathematics programs contain bugs.
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