On extracting computations from propositional proofs (a survey)

This paper describes a project that aims at showing that propositional proofs of certain tautologies in weak proof system give upper bounds on the computational complexity of functions associated with the tautologies. Such bounds can potentially be used to prove (conditional or unconditional) lower bounds on the lengths of proofs of these tautologies and show separations of some weak proof systems. The prototype are the results showing the feasible interpolation property for resolution. In order to prove similar results for systems stronger than resolution one needs to define suitable generalizations of boolean circuits. We will survey the known results concerning this project and sketch in which direction we want to generalize them.

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