Which programming paradigm emphasizes the use of objects?

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that focuses on the concept of "objects," which can be thought of as instances of classes. In OOP, both data and methods are encapsulated within objects. This allows for greater modularity, reusability, and organization of code.

The core principles of OOP include encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. Encapsulation ensures that the internal representation of an object is hidden from the outside, leading to cleaner and more manageable code. Inheritance allows a new class to inherit properties and methods from an existing class, promoting code reuse. Polymorphism enables methods to do different things based on the object it is acting upon, enhancing flexibility.

This emphasis on the use of objects and their interactions is what distinctly characterizes OOP as a programming paradigm, making it fundamentally different from other paradigms like functional or procedural programming. In contrast, functional programming focuses primarily on the use of functions and immutable data, while procedural programming structures code into sequences of procedures or routines, without the central notion of objects. Markup programming, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with the presentation and formatting of data rather than behavior.