Generalization of terms via universal algebra

Abstract: We provide a new foundational approach to the generalization of terms up to equational theories. We interpret generalization problems in a universal-algebraic setting making a key use of projective and exact algebras in the variety associated to the considered equational theory. We prove that the generality poset of a problem and its type (i.e., the cardinality of a complete set of least general solutions) can be studied in this algebraic setting. Moreover, we identify a class of varieties where the study of the generality poset can be fully reduced to the study of the congruence lattice of the 1-generated free algebra. We apply our results to varieties of algebras and to (algebraizable) logics. In particular we obtain several examples of unitary type: abelian groups; commutative monoids and commutative semigroups; all varieties whose 1-generated free algebra is trivial, e.g., lattices, semilattices, varieties without constants whose operations are idempotent; Boolean algebras, Kleene algebras, and G\"odel algebras, which are the equivalent algebraic semantics of, respectively, classical, 3-valued Kleene, and G\"odel-Dummett logic.