A Categorical Critical-pair Completion Algorithm

We introduce a general critical-pair/completion algorithm, formulated in the language of category theory. It encompasses the Knuth–Bendix procedure for term rewriting systems (also modulo equivalence relations), the Gröbner basis algorithm for polynomial ideal theory, and the resolution procedure for automated theorem proving. We show how these three procedures fit in the general algorithm, and how our approach relates to other categorical modeling approaches to these algorithms, especially term rewriting.