How can I combine the typeclass pattern with subtyping?

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Suppose I'm using the typeclass pattern in Scala. Here's how I make a class C part of the typeclass Foo:

Welcome to Scala version 2.9.0.1 (Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM, Java 1.6.0_26).

scala> trait Foo[T] { def foo(t: T) }
defined trait Foo

scala> def foo[T : Foo](t: T) { implicitly[Foo[T]].foo(t) }
foo: [T](t: T)(implicit evidence$1: Foo[T])Unit

scala> class C
defined class C

scala> foo(new C)
<console>:11: error: could not find implicit value for evidence parameter of type Foo[C]
       foo(new C)
          ^

scala> implicit object FooC extends Foo[C] { override def foo(c: C) { println("it's a C!") } }
defined module FooC

scala> foo(new C)
it's a C!

So far so good. But suppose I have a subclass D of C, and I want instances of D to be "in" the typeclass too:

scala> class D extends C
defined class D

scala> foo(new D)
<console>:13: error: could not find implicit value for evidence parameter of type Foo[D]
       foo(new D)
          ^

Doh! How do I make this work without having to explicitly provide a typeclass instance for D?

1 Answers
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