mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Proof of Thought : Neurosymbolic Program Synthesis allows Robust and Interpretable Reasoning

arXiv 2409.17270 ↗First posted 25 Sep 2024cs.AI cs.CL cs.LGcited by 17

On the map: LLM reasoning → Reasoning benchmarks and evaluation

Abstract (arXiv)

Large Language Models (LLMs) have revolutionized natural language processing, yet they struggle with inconsistent reasoning, particularly in novel domains and complex logical sequences. This research introduces Proof of Thought, a framework that enhances the reliability and transparency of LLM outputs. Our approach bridges LLM-generated ideas with formal logic verification, employing a custom interpreter to convert LLM outputs into First Order Logic constructs for theorem prover scrutiny. Central to our method is an intermediary JSON-based Domain-Specific Language, which by design balances precise logical structures with intuitive human concepts. This hybrid representation enables both rigorous validation and accessible human comprehension of LLM reasoning processes. Key contributions include a robust type system with sort management for enhanced logical integrity, explicit representation of rules for clear distinction between factual and inferential knowledge, and a flexible architecture that allows for easy extension to various domain-specific applications. We demonstrate Proof of Thought's effectiveness through benchmarking on StrategyQA and a novel multimodal reasoning task, showing improved performance in open-ended scenarios. By providing verifiable and interpretable results, our technique addresses critical needs for AI system accountability and sets a foundation for human-in-the-loop oversight in high-stakes domains.

Key facts. Cited by 17 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Reasoning benchmarks and evaluation, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning. Builds on 20 of its 29 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 25 Sep 2024.

Builds on

20 of 29 references.

Closest ancestors · 2

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2023PaLM 2 Technical Report17 May
  2. 2023Scallop: A Language for Neurosymbolic Programming10 Apr

Other references · 18

  1. 2022Chain-of-Thought Prompting Elicits Reasoning in Large Language Modelscited by 12,302
  2. 2021Evaluating Large Language Models Trained on Codecited by 8,053
  3. 2022Self-Consistency Improves Chain of Thought Reasoning in Language Modelscited by 5,601
  4. 2023Tree of Thoughts: Deliberate Problem Solving with Large Language Modelscited by 3,155
  5. 2022Competition-Level Code Generation with AlphaCodecited by 1,427
  6. 2017Interpretability Beyond Feature Attribution: Quantitative Testing with Concept Activation Vectors (TCAV)cited by 1,309
  7. 2023Graph of Thoughts: Solving Elaborate Problems with Large Language Modelscited by 873
  8. 2022Visual Programming: Compositional visual reasoning without trainingcited by 507
  9. 2019Neural Probabilistic Logic Programming in DeepProbLogcited by 389
  10. 2020Concept Whitening for Interpretable Image Recognitioncited by 225
  11. 2020A Survey of the State of Explainable AI for Natural Language Processingcited by 206
  12. 2020The Next Decade in AI: Four Steps Towards Robust Artificial Intelligencecited by 194
6 more
  1. 2016Transfer Learning for Low-Resource Neural Machine Translationcited by 188
  2. 2018Rethinking Knowledge Graph Propagation for Zero-Shot Learningcited by 87
  3. 2023A Benchmark for Learning to Translate a New Language from One Grammar Bookcited by 74
  4. 2023Interpretable Neural-Symbolic Concept Reasoningcited by 56
  5. 2024BEARS Make Neuro-Symbolic Models Aware of their Reasoning Shortcutscited by 36
  6. 2023GENOME: GenerativE Neuro-symbOlic visual reasoning by growing and reusing ModulEscited by 18

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2025: 7; 2026: 10.

17 papers.

Sort:

By area:

  1. 2026Solver-Aided Verification of Policy Compliance in Tool-Augmented LLM Agentscited by 15
  2. 2025Towards Reliable Code-as-Policies: A Neuro-Symbolic Framework for Embodied Task Planningcited by 10
  3. 2025Grammars of Formal Uncertainty: When to Trust LLMs in Automated Reasoning Taskscited by 9
  4. 2025A Neurosymbolic Approach to Natural Language Formalization and Verificationcited by 8
  5. 2025Position: Foundation Models for Tabular Data within Systemic Contexts Need Groundingcited by 5
  6. 2026Toward Guarantees for Clinical Reasoning in Vision Language Models via Formal Verificationcited by 4
  7. 2026Trust The Typicalcited by 3
  8. 2026Path-Lock Expert: Separating Reasoning Mode in Hybrid Thinking via Architecture-Level Separationcited by 3
  9. 2025ATA: A Neuro-Symbolic Approach to Implement Autonomous and Trustworthy Agentscited by 2
  10. 2025Bonsai: Interpretable Tree-Adaptive Grounded Reasoningcited by 1
  11. 2025RepV: Safety-Separable Latent Spaces for Scalable Neurosymbolic Plan Verificationcited by 1
  12. 2026Context Determines Optimal Architecture in Materials Segmentationcited by 1
5 more
  1. 2026Reliability-Gated Source Anchoring for Continual Test-Time Adaptationcited by 1
  2. 2026Evaluating the Formal Reasoning Capabilities of Large Language Models through Chomsky Hierarchycited by 0
  3. 2026Agentic Federated Learning: The Future of Distributed Training Orchestrationcited by 0
  4. 2026Forethought: Verifiable Reasoning from Neurosymbolic Primitive Programmingcited by 0
  5. 2026Program Learning with Verifiable Rewards: Symbolic Backpropagation for Post-Training LLMscited by 0

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2023LINC: A Neurosymbolic Approach for Logical Reasoning by Combining Language Models with First-Order Logic Provers
  2. 2025Typed Chain-of-Thought: A Curry-Howard Framework for Verifying LLM Reasoning
  3. 2025Can Large Language Models Learn Formal Logic? A Data-Driven Training and Evaluation Framework
  4. 2025Beyond Correctness: Exposing LLM-generated Logical Flaws in Reasoning via Multi-step Automated Theorem Proving
  5. 2024Automated Theorem Provers Help Improve Large Language Model Reasoning
  6. 2026Logic-Parametric Neuro-Symbolic NLI: Controlling Logical Formalisms for Verifiable LLM Reasoning
  7. 2026Pushing the Boundaries of Natural Reasoning: Interleaved Bonus from Formal-Logic Verification
  8. 2026VERGE: Formal Refinement and Guidance Engine for Verifiable LLM Reasoning