A category of design steps

DS 87-7 Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED 17) Vol 7: Design Theory and Research Methodology, Vancouver, Canada, 21-25.08.2017

Year: 2017
Editor: Anja Maier, Stanko Škec, Harrison Kim, Michael Kokkolaras, Josef Oehmen, Georges Fadel, Filippo Salustri, Mike Van der Loos
Author: Breiner, Spencer; Subrahmanian, Eswaran
Series: ICED
Institution: 1: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States of America; 2: Carnegie Mellon University, United States of America
Section: Design Theory and Research Methodology
Page(s): 141-149
ISBN: 978-1-904670-95-7
ISSN: 2220-4342

Abstract

In this paper we critique the interpretation of Concept-Knowledge theory in terms of logical decidability. We argue instead that concepts and knowledge should be regarded as logical language and axioms, the two main components of a logical theory. Based on this proposal and using tools from the mathematics of category theory, we propose a category of logical designs to act as a formal interpretation for the dynamic operators which define the design processes of C-K theory.

Keywords: C-K theory, Category theory, Product modelling / models, Knowledge management, Innovation

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