Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Record decision context—forces, constraints, alternatives…
Record decision context—forces, constraints, alternatives, emotional state—in writing at the moment of choice, before hindsight bias can reconstruct a fiction that feels like memory.
When experiencing cultural friction or confusion, treat…
When experiencing cultural friction or confusion, treat it as data about the boundary of your own operating system rather than as evidence of others' incompetence.
Apply temporal context filters to distinguish between…
Apply temporal context filters to distinguish between domain-specific facts (short half-life, requires aggressive updating) and structural principles (long half-life, validated by temporal survival).
Review consequential assessments in at least two distinct…
Review consequential assessments in at least two distinct emotional contexts before finalizing to reveal what each emotional state makes visible or invisible.
For high-stakes vocabulary in agreements or decisions…
For high-stakes vocabulary in agreements or decisions, request operational definitions from each stakeholder independently before proceeding to verify alignment.
Move from abstract agreement to concrete specification…
Move from abstract agreement to concrete specification by requesting examples and counter-examples when stakeholders use high-stakes abstract nouns.
When technical vocabulary crosses disciplinary boundaries…
When technical vocabulary crosses disciplinary boundaries, explicitly verify that terms carry the same operational meaning in each discipline before using them in cross-functional work.
Before sending text-based messages, re-read…
Before sending text-based messages, re-read as if you are a stranger with zero shared context to detect ambiguities that shared history would otherwise mask.
When receiving ambiguous messages, respond with clarifying…
When receiving ambiguous messages, respond with clarifying questions about missing context rather than constructing interpretations from your own context.
When frustrated by individual behavior in organizations…
When frustrated by individual behavior in organizations, identify at least three structural factors that reward or permit the behavior before attributing it to character.
Design organizational processes by asking 'What…
Design organizational processes by asking 'What will a rational person optimize for under these incentives?' rather than 'What do I hope people will do?'
When evaluating performance, ask 'What did the system make…
When evaluating performance, ask 'What did the system make easy or hard?' before asking 'What did this person do well or poorly?'
Break complex cognitive work into convergent blocks…
Break complex cognitive work into convergent blocks (analytical, detail-oriented, evaluative) and divergent blocks (creative, associative, generative), then configure distinct physical environments optimized for each mode rather than attempting all cognitive work in a single workspace.
Before group discussions on important topics, require…
Before group discussions on important topics, require participants to write down their positions privately, then compare post-discussion positions to identify when conclusions changed due to new evidence versus social absorption.
Introduce a single designated dissenter in group decisions…
Introduce a single designated dissenter in group decisions to reduce conformity pressure by approximately 80%, particularly when consensus is forming rapidly around a position.
Deliberately expose yourself to epistemic communities…
Deliberately expose yourself to epistemic communities outside your primary professional circle on a regular schedule to prevent your social environment from becoming the sole determinant of what you can believe.
Document the reasoning and context behind decisions…
Document the reasoning and context behind decisions alongside the decisions themselves in persistent systems that survive personnel turnover, treating rationale as equally important as the decision record.
Before proposing the removal of any inherited system…
Before proposing the removal of any inherited system, process, or structure, first document why it was originally created and what problem it solved—if you cannot reconstruct this context, you lack sufficient information to safely remove it.
Match your study method to your anticipated retrieval…
Match your study method to your anticipated retrieval method—if you will need to explain verbally, study by explaining; if you will need to apply to novel problems, study by application; if you will need to write, study by writing.
Before communicating any recommendation or conclusion…
Before communicating any recommendation or conclusion, explicitly establish common ground by stating what the audience already knows (Situation), what changed or created a need (Complication), and what question this raises (Question) before presenting your Answer.
When documentation describes system decisions, prioritize…
When documentation describes system decisions, prioritize explaining why a choice was made over describing what was chosen, because 'why' context remains useful after 'what' implementation details become obsolete.
Design physical and digital environments so that desired…
Design physical and digital environments so that desired behaviors require fewer steps than undesired behaviors, making the path of least resistance align with your goals.
Set defaults for recurring choices to align…
Set defaults for recurring choices to align with your long-term goals rather than accepting system-provided defaults that optimize for others' objectives.
When a newly designed context fails to change behavior…
When a newly designed context fails to change behavior within one week, modify the cue visibility, friction points, or reward structure rather than concluding the behavior is impossible.