Purpose

Definition

In essence, a function serves as the means to achieve a purpose, enabling the fulfillment of a desired outcome. While function emphasizes practicality and utility, purpose delves into the underlying motivation or meaning behind an object or action.

Flow

For some purpose satisfied by some sort of digital presentment of identification information:

1. Desired outcome = typically access to some resource (goods or services; energy or information)
2. Purpose = Enabling the desired outcome
3. Function = the algorithm or steps to follow to achieve the purpose
4. Query = the message that asks for specific action to enable the access
5. Wallet = the code that receives the query an asks the holder for consent (it must convert the query into a display)
6. Consent = the holder action that allows a response
7. Grant = the message that is returned in response to the query (it may be sufficient)
8. Verify = the code that accepts the grant and determines if the grant is sufficient
9. Response = either a rejection, a new query or admission to the requested resource
10. Result = success or failure (The holder is happy, or not)
11. Audit = a more or less permanent record of the relevant details in case of problems with any of the above steps.

Note that cycles are possible to achieve the desired outcome.

Problems

• The number of purposes is indefinite. Which means that it is not possible to enumerate all purposes.
• In fact the very existence of Digital Identifiers will create an environment which possible purposes that have never been expected.
• In view of the changing technology, like Artificial Intelligence, any enterprise is likely to see purposes shift over time.

Life

There are two big questions for which humans seek purpose:

1. Why are we humans here?
2. Why is anything here?