Principlev1PR-668
When aggregate data contradicts disaggregated data, identify
When aggregate data contradicts disaggregated data, identify the lurking variable that defines scope boundaries before declaring a genuine contradiction.
Why This Is a Principle
This derives from Schemas as Knowledge Organization Structures (schemas organize knowledge by specifying relationships) and Abstraction Necessarily Discards Information (abstraction discards information). Simpson's paradox demonstrates that aggregation changes what's being measured. The principle prescribes the diagnostic move: find the scope variable before concluding contradiction.