Toward a Realizable-Centered Approach to Artifacts in Applied Ontology

We provide a theoretical foundation for a formal ontology of artifacts based on the notion of a realizable entity: a property that can be realized in associated processes of a specific correlated type in which the bearer participates. This realizable-centered approach to artifacts aims to accommodate a wide range of artifacts, from technical artifacts (e.g., screwdrivers) to artworks (including ready-made artworks) and spiritual artifacts (e.g., amulets), making it applicable across diverse fields such as engineering, art, anthropology and archeology. It is motivated by limitations of function-based accounts of artifacts and the needs for a meticulous analysis of their intentional dimension. To articulate various usages of the term “artifact,” we introduce two key notions: canonical artifact (an entity intentionally produced for a specific purpose) and usefact (an entity intended to be used for some accidental purpose). We provide a realizable-based characterization of both, classifying intentions as a subtype of realizable entities. We argue that our realizable-centered approach is more general than three prominent function-based theories of artifacts: designer-based, etiological and systemic. We further demonstrate that our framework can be adapted to Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), highlighting its flexibility and broad applicability.