-- one could define the naturals as follows type Nat | zero : Nat | succ : Nat → Nat -- which will bring a recursor for the type into scope -- rec[Nat] : A → (A → A) → Nat → A -- defining addition as add : Nat → Nat → Nat := rec[Nat] (λx. x) (λf n. succ (f n)) -- since | rec[Nat] : A → (A → A) → Nat → A -- which generalizes to | rec[Nat] : (Nat → Nat) → ((Nat → Nat) → (Nat → Nat)) → Nat → (Nat → Nat) -- ^ adding 0 ^ recursively adding one more ^ resulting addition type -- id is used to not add anything, the second function takes the last addition function and adds a layer -- of succ onto it, this way it generates a function for adding the right amount. -- multiplication is defined similairly mul : Nat → Nat → Nat := rec[Nat] (λx. zero) (λf n. add n (f n)) -- here's an example of a simpler type type Bool | true : Bool | false : Bool not : Bool → Bool := rec[Bool] false true -- now, let's look at a bit more interesting example type Expr | ENat : Nat → Expr | EAdd : Expr → Expr → Expr | EMul : Expr → Expr → Expr -- this generates the following recursor -- rec[Expr] : (Nat → A) → (A → A → A) → (A → A → A) → Expr → A eval : Expr → Nat := rec[Expr] (λx. x) add mul -- here's some other functions isEven : Nat → Bool := rec[Nat] true not type bot absurd : bot -> A := rec[bot]