Principlev1PR-630
Limit relationship type taxonomies to 5-7 categories…
Limit relationship type taxonomies to 5-7 categories that match actual cognitive distinctions rather than pursuing ontological completeness.
Why This Is a Principle
This derives from Working Memory Capacity Limit (working memory holds 3-5 items), Conscious Processing Is Metabolically Expensive (conscious deliberation is metabolically expensive), and Directed Attention as Depletable Resource (executive function depletes finite resources). The principle prescribes keeping edge type vocabularies small—five types (enables, supports, extends, contradicts, exemplifies) cover most relationships. It's actionable (constrains taxonomy design), general (applies to any typed system), and grounded in cognitive constraints around working memory capacity and the metabolic cost of classification decisions.