Timestamp beliefs with validity windows — convert apparent…

When This Fires

• When you notice your knowledge system contains beliefs that seem to contradict each other
• When updating a belief based on new evidence — mark the old belief's validity window rather than deleting it
• During knowledge system audits when cleaning up apparent contradictions
• When referencing historical beliefs to understand how your thinking evolved

Common Failure Mode

Deleting old beliefs when you update your understanding: "I used to think X, but now I think Y — delete X." This loses the historical context. If you later encounter evidence that supports X under certain conditions, you've destroyed the note that would have helped you understand the scope boundaries. Keep X with a validity window; add Y with its own window. The contradiction resolves into a documented transition.

The Protocol

(1) When adding a belief to your knowledge system, include a "valid from" date (at minimum). (2) When a belief is superseded, add a "valid until" date and link to the successor belief with an "updated by" or "superseded by" edge. (3) When two beliefs appear to contradict, check their validity windows first. If they don't overlap → temporal transition, not contradiction. Label accordingly. (4) If validity windows overlap → genuine contradiction requiring resolution (Link contradicting ideas together in your graph — spatial…, Use the cascade test — 'If I resolved this, what else…). (5) During audits, identify undated beliefs and add validity windows retroactively based on when the source material was created or when you acquired the knowledge.