Axiomempiricalv1
Measurement of behavior changes the behavior being measured.
Measurement of behavior changes the behavior being measured.
Why This Is an Axiom
This is the Hawthorne effect and observer effect from psychology, grounded in empirical research. It's a bedrock claim about how cognitive systems respond to observation — not derivable from other axioms, and it fundamentally constrains how monitoring can work. The curriculum treats this as an empirical given, not something to be proven.
Source Lessons
L-0541
You cannot improve what you do not monitor
Agent monitoring provides the data you need to optimize your cognitive systems.
L-0553
Journaling as manual monitoring
Written reflection is the oldest and most versatile form of self-monitoring.
L-0408
The agent audit
Inventory your existing agents both designed and default to understand what is running.
L-0551
Monitoring overhead
Monitoring itself costs attention and energy — the overhead must be justified by the value it provides.