An AI Monkey Gets Grapes for Sure -- Sphere Neural Networks for Reliable Decision-Making
On the map: LLM reasoning → Reasoning benchmarks and evaluation
Abstract (arXiv)
This paper compares three methodological categories of neural reasoning: LLM reasoning, supervised learning-based reasoning, and explicit model-based reasoning. LLMs remain unreliable and struggle with simple decision-making that animals can master without extensive corpora training. Through disjunctive syllogistic reasoning testing, we show that reasoning via supervised learning is less appealing than reasoning via explicit model construction. Concretely, we show that an Euler Net trained to achieve 100.00% in classic syllogistic reasoning can be trained to reach 100.00% accuracy in disjunctive syllogistic reasoning. However, the retrained Euler Net suffers severely from catastrophic forgetting (its performance drops to 6.25% on already-learned classic syllogistic reasoning), and its reasoning competence is limited to the pattern level. We propose a new version of Sphere Neural Networks that embeds concepts as circles on the surface of an n-dimensional sphere. These Sphere Neural Networks enable the representation of the negation operator via complement circles and achieve reliable decision-making by filtering out illogical statements that form unsatisfiable circular configurations. We demonstrate that the Sphere Neural Network can master 16 syllogistic reasoning tasks, including rigorous disjunctive syllogistic reasoning, while preserving the rigour of classical syllogistic reasoning. We conclude that neural reasoning with explicit model construction is the most reliable among the three methodological categories of neural reasoning.
Key facts. Cited by 1 paper in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Reasoning benchmarks and evaluation, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning. Builds on 13 of its 45 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 1 Jan 2026.
Builds on
13 of 45 references.
Closest ancestors · 3
Same direction, newest first
- 2024Sphere Neural-Networks for Rational Reasoning22 Mar
- 2023A Systematic Comparison of Syllogistic Reasoning in Humans and Language Models1 Nov
- 2022Selection-Inference: Exploiting Large Language Models for Interpretable Logical Reasoning19 May
Other references · 10
- 2017Attention Is All You Needcited by 59,932
- 2023Llama 2: Open Foundation and Fine-Tuned Chat Modelscited by 12,865
- 2019Mastering Atari, Go, Chess and Shogi by Planning with a Learned Modelcited by 1,327
- 2018Spherical CNNscited by 452
- 2023AI Deception: A Survey of Examples, Risks, and Potential Solutionscited by 185
- 2020Abstract Diagrammatic Reasoning with Multiplex Graph Networkscited by 37
- 2020Critical Thinking for Language Modelscited by 31
- 2023Scaling Spherical CNNscited by 21
- 2024SylloBio-NLI: Evaluating Large Language Models on Biomedical Syllogistic Reasoningcited by 9
- 2023Assisting clinical practice with fuzzy probabilistic decision treescited by 2
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Citing papers per year: 2026: 1.
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Close in wording, no citation either way
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- 2026Can VLMs Reason Robustly? A Neuro-Symbolic Investigation
- 2024A Systematic Analysis of Large Language Models as Soft Reasoners: The Case of Syllogistic Inferences
- 2026UFAL-CUNI at SemEval-2026 Task 11: An Efficient Modular Neuro-symbolic Method for Syllogistic Reasoning