What is the difference between ∀ and Π in the Calculus of Constructions?

Question

As I've learned, the Calculus of Constructions has only two binders - $\lambda$ and $\Pi$. Morte, for example, has $\forall$ as a mere alias of $\Pi$. Yet, on the paper Self Types for Dependently Typed Lambda Encodings, there are types such as:

$$\begin{gather} \mathrm{Nat} := \forall X. (X \rightarrow X) \rightarrow X \rightarrow X \\ \mathrm{It} : \forall X. \Pi x : \mathrm{Nat}. (X \rightarrow X) \rightarrow X \rightarrow X \\ \mathrm{Ind} : \forall P : \mathrm{Nat} \rightarrow \mathord{\ast}. \; \Pi x:\mathrm{Nat}. \; (\Pi y:\mathrm{Nat}. (P \, y \rightarrow P (S \, y))) \rightarrow P \, \bar 0 \rightarrow P \, x \end{gather}$$

Notice that the paper uses both $\forall$ and $\Pi$. Moreover, $\forall$ is used both with the syntax $\forall a : b \rightarrow c$ and $\forall a . b$. I can't parse those expressions. What is the difference between $\forall$ and $\Pi$, and how would you express those types on Morte?

Answer 1

I had only a quick and cursory look at the paper — so take this with great care.

It appears that $\Pi X$ is used to express dependent products as in the calculus of constructions. Instead, $\forall X$ looks more like polymorphic types in ML.

The main difference is that, if $t : \Pi x. P(x)$ then $t T : P(T)$, while if $t : \forall x. P(x)$ then $t : P(T)$. Note that the former requires an additional argument, the second does not: the polytype gets instantiated automatically. Rules $\mathit{App}$ and $\mathit{Inst}$ at page 7 cause this difference.

Of course, this also means that introducing $\Pi$ requires a lambda, while introducing $\forall$ does not.

There also is some type / kind distinction related to this, but I can't comment on that precisely.