We outline a general theory of graph polynomials which covers all the examples we found in the vast literature, in particular,
the chromatic polynomial, various generalizations of the Tutte polynomial, matching polynomials, interlace polynomials, and
the cover polynomial of digraphs. We introduce two classes of (hyper)graph polynomials definable in second order logic, and
outline a research program for their classification in terms of definability and complexity considerations, and various notions
of reducibilities.
Keywords Graph polynomials - Combinatorial counting functions - Descriptive complexity
Partially supported by a Grant of the Fund for Promotion of Research of the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology.