# Canonicity and homotopy canonicity for cubical type theory

**Authors:** Thierry Coquand, Simon Huber, Christian Sattler

arXiv: 1902.06572 · 2023-06-22

## TL;DR

This paper proves two canonicity results for cubical type theory using a sconing argument within a presheaf model, demonstrating that natural numbers are path equal to numerals even without certain equations.

## Contribution

It introduces two canonicity theorems for cubical type theory, including a homotopy canonicity result, using an internal sconing argument.

## Key findings

- Homotopy canonicity: natural numbers are path equal to numerals.
- Canonicity: equations on the lifting operation are crucial.
- Proofs are conducted internally in a presheaf model.

## Abstract

Cubical type theory provides a constructive justification of homotopy type theory. A crucial ingredient of cubical type theory is a path lifting operation which is explained computationally by induction on the type involving several non-canonical choices. We present in this article two canonicity results, both proved by a sconing argument: a homotopy canonicity result, every natural number is path equal to a numeral, even if we take away the equations defining the lifting operation on the type structure, and a canonicity result, which uses these equations in a crucial way. Both proofs are done internally in a presheaf model.

## Figures

2 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1902.06572/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1902.06572