Promise Theory as a Tool for Informaticians

Abstract

Promise theory was designed and developed from 2005 onwards by Mark Burgess and his coworkers. It totalises the notion of a promise so that it applies to both animate and inanimate promisers. The focus of promise theory is on applications in informatics and systems design. This paper extends the account of promises by providing more detailed requirements on promises. In particular, the requirement of determinacy, the requirement of decomposition of aggregate agents, and the feature of a promise bias are introduced. The paper further includes an account of threats, as well as of risks, both viewed as an extension of promise theory. It is finally indicated by means of a series of informal examples how and where various kinds of promises and threats may occur in informatics.