The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types and 2 molecules
Before attempting to resolve any persistent organizational tension, apply the problem-vs-polarity test: can new information or analysis make one side permanently win? If no, design oscillation management rather than searching for resolution.
When two credentialed experts contradict each other on the same question, treat their disagreement as a map of genuine uncertainty in the evidence base rather than as a problem requiring you to pick a winner.
When experts disagree, ask 'why do they disagree' rather than 'who is right' to identify structural sources like different methodologies, populations, or outcome measures.
Address contradictions at the strategic principle level rather than re-adjudicating them at each tactical decision point to prevent decision multiplication.
When steel-manning an opposing position, verify adequacy by checking whether advocates of that position would say 'Yes, that is exactly what I mean' before proceeding to critique.
When articulating your core operating principles, require that each principle explain your actual observed behavior patterns rather than aspirational values, because a unified theory must match behavioral data not wishes.
For each schema, list assumptions it makes—things it takes for granted without defining—then compare assumption lists across schemas to find shared dependency gaps where both schemas assume the same foundational concept but neither defines it.
When a cross-domain mapping breaks down or fails, investigate the mismatch systematically rather than forcing the analogy—mapping failures reveal domain-specific structural features that successful mappings cannot expose.
When two schemas appear to share a concept or principle, test whether the connection is genuine by attempting to scramble the specifics—if the 'connection' would work equally well between any two randomly selected schemas, you've found semantic coincidence rather than structural isomorphism.
After experiencing what feels like an insight or integration moment, verify whether it represents genuine integration by testing whether you can now do something you could not do before—if the click produced no new capability, inference, or prediction, you experienced fluency or familiarity rather than structural integration.
When an attempted integration between two schemas forces you to reshape one schema to fit the other rather than discovering a higher-order structure that accommodates both unchanged, you are executing Procrustean integration—abandon the attempt and either maintain the schemas separately or search for a genuinely encompassing framework.
After experiencing a moment when previously separate frameworks 'click together', write down specifically what you can now do, see, or infer that was unavailable before the integration—this functional test distinguishes genuine structural integration from mere exposure effects disguised as insight.
When a designed agent fails to fire consistently after two weeks, diagnose whether the trigger is not salient enough, the condition is too restrictive, or the action requires too much effort, because each failure type requires different corrections.
Design agents only for decisions that score high on frequency (recurring often), stability (same answer each time), and low individual stakes, because these three properties determine whether automation saves resources without introducing unacceptable risk.
Track agent displacement by measuring the percentage of times your designed agent fires instead of the default, not by whether you execute perfectly every time, because replacement is gradual and competes against thousands of prior reinforcements.
Do not automate decisions where the outcome is genuinely different each instance even if the category recurs (interpersonal conflicts, creative problems, novel diagnoses), because automating decisions with genuine novelty produces rigidity disguised as efficiency.
When reverse-engineering a default agent, write down all three components (trigger, condition, action) even if the condition is 'always' or appears absent, because making the implicit condition explicit reveals where the default fires indiscriminately.
Define agent triggers as observable external events or measurable internal states rather than subjective feelings or abstract conditions, because vague triggers cannot be recognized reliably when they occur.
Set agent review cadences at 7 days for new habits, 30 days for established behaviors, and immediately after any major context change, because review timing must match the actual rate of drift in each agent type.
Define agent success as a measurable outcome with a minimum acceptable firing rate threshold (typically 80% over one week for new agents) rather than subjective satisfaction, because subjective assessment systematically inflates reliability perception.
Externalize critical reliability agents (medication, safety checks, high-stakes commitments) to tools or environments rather than trusting biological memory, because internal agents degrade precisely when stakes are highest—under stress and cognitive load.
Use hourly momentary sampling over 48+ hours rather than end-of-day recall when auditing behavioral agents, because retrospective memory systematically overweights salient successes and underweights invisible failures.
Classify each observed behavior as designed (you can identify the installation decision) or default (no identifiable decision point) during audits, treating the classification question itself as a detection mechanism for unexamined automation.
When an agent fires below 80% of expected opportunities over 30 days, reduce it to the simplest executable version before adding any complexity, because unreliable agents cannot be improved through sophistication.