constructus

Constructus is a term used in some philosophical and mathematical discussions to denote entities, ideas, or processes that are created by deliberate construction rather than discovered or inherent in nature. The term evokes the Latin constructus, the past participle of construere, to build, and is used to emphasize the role of human agency in bringing a thing into being.

In philosophy, constructus can describe objects whose existence is claimed to depend on an explicit construction within a given framework, such as a formal theory or model. It is sometimes contrasted with notions of naturalized or given objects and with platonist views of mathematical objects as existing independently of our constructions.

In mathematics, constructus is associated with constructible or constructible-within-a-system ideas—the idea that certain objects are knowable or findable by a finite sequence of allowable operations. This usage overlaps with established terms such as constructible numbers or constructible sets, though constructus serves as a broader label for construction-based ontology.

In cognitive science and education, constructus may be used to describe mental representations or artifacts that learners build through guided discovery, physical manipulation, or computational construction, as opposed to passive absorption.

Critics argue that constructus is underspecified and can be redundant with existing terminology such as constructivism or constructibility. Proponents view it as a useful umbrella term for distinguishing constructed entities from discovered ones, particularly in interdisciplinary discussions.

See also: Constructivism, Constructible universe, Constructible numbers, Constructibility.