A case for concept programs

Abstract

The verifiability principle of meaning holds that information is meaningful only if there is a procedure that can verify whether it is true or false. In this paper, we explore this principle of philosophy in the realm of program comprehension. We introduce the notion of concept programs, which are independent, executable, and thus verifiable units of program knowledge. Concept programs are well-suited for the comprehension and explanation of the central mechanisms that underlie a complex program. We use an industrial case study to motivate the importance of concept programs for the comprehension of the innermost complexity of industrial programs.