Motivating the Rules of Sequent Calculus

Parallelized elimination rules in natural deduction correspond to Left rules in the sequent calculus; and introduction rules correspond to Right rules. These rules may be construed as inductive clauses in the inductive definition of the notion of sequent proof. There is a natural isomorphism between natural deductions in Core Logic and the sequent proofs that correspond to them. We examine the relations, between sequents, of concentration and dilution; and describe what it is for one sequent to strengthen another. We examine some possible global restrictions on proof-formation, designed to prevent proofs from proving dilutions of sequents already proved by a subproof. We establish the important result that the sequent rules of Core Logic maintain concentration, and we explain its importance for automated proof-search.