Definitionv1

Kill criterion: a specific, pre-committed condition under

Kill criterion: a specific, pre-committed condition under which you will abandon a course of action — defined when you're calm, clear-eyed, and not yet invested, serving as the epistemic equivalent of a circuit breaker that trips automatically when conditions exceed safe thresholds, regardless of how you feel when it fires

Why This Is a Definition

This definition clearly establishes the term 'kill criterion' by naming it, stating its genus (a condition for abandoning action), and its differentia (specific, pre-committed, defined when calm, automatic triggering regardless of emotion). It distinguishes kill criteria from vague or emotional decision-making and positions it as an epistemic infrastructure tool.

Source Lessons

L-0456

Kill criteria

Define in advance what evidence would cause you to abandon a course of action.

Connections

Defines (29)

AxiomPerception as Predictive Construction AxiomHindsight Bias and Calibration Necessity AxiomExpertise Transforms Perceptual Chunking AxiomAutomatic Fusion of Observation and Interpretation AxiomComplementary Learning Systems Architecture AxiomDual Coding Theory: Verbal and Visual Channels AxiomConversational Memory Asymmetry From Production Planning AxiomUltradian and Circadian Cognitive Rhythms AxiomAttention as Gate to Conscious Perception AxiomEmotion as Systematic Cognitive Modulator AxiomGlucose-Cognition Dependency Threshold AxiomBias Blind Spot Asymmetry AxiomConsciousness Requires Global Neural Integration AxiomMental Models Are Singular by Default AxiomCognition Operates Through Dual Processing Systems AxiomMental States Are Cognitively Imputable AxiomLooping Effects of Human Classification AxiomAutomatic Pattern Perception AxiomConstrual Level Effects on Perception AxiomSimple decision rules using less information can outperform AxiomPeople interpret failure as either evidence about their AxiomEvery detection system faces a fundamental tradeoff between AxiomHumans acquire new behavioral patterns through observational AxiomWhen estimating future task duration, people naturally adopt AxiomReference class forecasting (using base rates from similar AxiomHuman beings make decisions under conditions of incomplete AxiomDefault options determine behavior more reliably than AxiomHumans systematically overestimate both the intensity and AxiomRegulatory flexibility—the ability to shift between

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