Principlev1
Retired agents compost into design knowledge for future
Retired agents compost into design knowledge for future agents—document what was learned, why it was retired, and what conditions made it obsolete, so nothing is lost.
Why This Is a Principle
Grounds in Encoding Depth Determines Retention (elaborative processing determines retention), Externalization Exposes Hidden Structure (externalization converts tacit to explicit), and Piagetian Equilibration Through Schema Dynamics (accommodation modifies schemas when assimilation fails). The composting principle derives from how knowledge persists: retirement without extraction loses the schema updates. Prescriptive about documentation at retirement.