Authors: Artiga, Marc
Abstract: Accepted by: Pawel Garbacz In this essay I introduce the question of artifactual functions in the context of the recent debate on the notion of function. I discuss some of the desiderata a satisfactory account should fulfill and compare them to the desiderata for a theory of biological functions. Finally, within this general framework, I briefly present the three papers included in this volume.
Keywords: Function, normativity, teleology, epiphenomenalism, artifacts, etiological theory, dispositional theory
DOI: 10.3233/AO-160166
Citation: Applied Ontology, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 89-102, 2016
Authors: Spear, Andrew D. | Ceusters, Werner | Smith, Barry
Abstract: Accepted by: Pawel Garbacz The notion of function is indispensable to our understanding of distinctions such as that between being broken and being in working order (for artifacts) and between being diseased and being healthy (for organisms). A clear account of the ontology of functions and functioning is thus an important desideratum for any top-level ontology intended for application to domains such as engineering or medicine. The benefit of using top-level ontologies in applied ontology can only be realized when each of the categories identified and defined by a top-level ontology is integrated with the others in … Show more
Keywords: Function, disposition, Basic Formal Ontology, biological function, artifacts, malfunction
DOI: 10.3233/AO-160164
Citation: Applied Ontology, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 103-128, 2016
Authors: Mizoguchi, Riichiro | Kitamura, Yoshinobu | Borgo, Stefano
Abstract: Accepted by: Michael Uschold and Pawel Garbacz Physical artifacts and biological systems have been studied from a variety of perspectives in different disciplines. These entities show many common characteristics and are investigated using similar notions except for one important aspect: functionality. Notwithstanding many attempts, the search for a unified notion of functionality that could encompass both the functions attributed to natural objects, like biological organisms, as well as those attributed to designed objects, like artifacts, to date has remained an open challenge. Deepening an earlier characterization of engineering functions, this paper starts with an introduction to the notions of behavior … Show more
Keywords: Function, context, role, biological function, engineering function
DOI: 10.3233/AO-160165
Citation: Applied Ontology, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 129-154, 2016
Authors: Burek, Patryk | Loebe, Frank | Herre, Heinrich
Abstract: Accepted by: Riichiro Mizoguchi Modeling functions is a key aspect of artifact design, including software engineering and business systems modeling, but it is likewise of fundamental importance in natural systems modeling, for example in modeling biological organisms. The Unified Modeling Language (UML), which originated from object-oriented software engineering, is nowadays a de facto standard for conceptual modeling and its current applications go far beyond software engineering. The paper investigates first to what extent UML is suited for modeling functions. We survey various approaches to function modeling with UML and identify their limitations. Based on the conducted analysis, we introduce a UML … Show more
Keywords: Unified Modeling Language, function modeling, gene ontology
DOI: 10.3233/AO-160167
Citation: Applied Ontology, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 155-203, 2016
