Constructive notions of sets (Part I) Sets in Martin–Löf type theory

This is the first of two articles dedicated to the notion of constructive set. In them we attempt a comparison between two different notions of set which occur in the context of the foundations for constructive mathematics. We also put them under perspective by stressing analogies and differences with the notion of set as codified in the classical theory Zermelo–Fraenkel. In the current article we illustrate in some detail the notion of set as expressed in Martin–L¨of type theory and present the essential characters of this theory. In a second article we shall explore a distinct notion of set, as arising in the context of intuitionistic versions of Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory. The theory we shall analyse there is Aczel’s CZF (Constructive Zermelo– Fraenkel) and we shall supplement its exposition by a succinct account of Aczel’s interpretation of CZF in type theory. This will enable us to compare the two notions in a more precise sense.