1. Putting functional analysis into perspective

Revisiting the concept of function, which is by definition the way of specifying an entity not by prescription or means, but by the statement of expected results, presupposes first of all a return to the very nature of the "subject" concerned.

The focus here is on entities that do not pre-exist human activity. Specialists refer to these elements as artifacts, i.e. man-made productions. And this particularity is important because it introduces complexity into the user's relationship with these artifacts. Indeed, it is no longer strictly univocal, since the object can be designed by one person and used by another.

Exploring this situation in greater depth is instructive, as it can reveal new dimensions of functional analysis.

The artifact inevitably introduces not one relationship, but a double relationship that sequentially...