Caristi-Kirk and Oettli-Théra ball spaces and applications (Q2288050)

By using the concept of a \textit{ball space} was first introduced in [\textit{K. Kuhlmann} and \textit{F.-V. Kuhlmann}, Forum Math. 27, No. 1, 303--327 (2015; Zbl 1305.54050); ibid. 27, No. 1, 329--330 (2015; Zbl 1305.54051)] and afterwards used in [\textit{F.-V. Kuhlmann} et al., J. Fixed Point Theory Appl. 20, No. 3, Paper No. 107, 9 p. (2018; Zbl 1398.54075)] to prove the Caristi fixed point theorem. In the paper under review, the authors, by identifying a common principle in the ball space framework, provide unifying and quick proofs to some remarkable results in complete metric spaces known to be equivalent to \textit{J. Caristi}'s fixed point theorem [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 215, 241--251 (1976; Zbl 0305.47029)]: \textit{I. Ekeland}'s variational principle [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 47, 324--353 (1974; Zbl 0286.49015)], \textit{W. Takahashi}'s minimization theorem [Pitman Res. Notes Math. Ser. 252, 397--406 (1991; Zbl 0760.47029)], the flower petal theorem [\textit{J.-P. Penot}, Nonlinear Anal., Theory Methods Appl. 10, 813--822 (1986; Zbl 0612.49011)], etc.