Generic Programming

The development of science proceeds in a cycle of activities, the so-called abstraction-specialisation cycle. Abstraction is the process of seeking patterns or commonalities, which are then classified, often in a formal mathematical framework. In the process of abstraction, we gain greater understanding by eliminating irrelevant detail in order to identify what is essential. The result is a collection of general laws which are then put to use in the second phase of the cycle, the specialisation phase. In the specialisation phase the general laws are instantiated to specific cases which, if the abstraction is a good one, leads to novel applications, yet greater understanding, and input for another round of abstraction followed by specialisation.