Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Prototype-based categories
cognitive categories organized around central exemplars rather than strict definitional rules, where membership is graded from typical to atypical and categories are structured with a center that processes fastest and measures everything else against
Boundary cases
items that do not fit neatly into any category and expose weaknesses in classification systems, serving as diagnostic signals rather than exceptions to be ignored
Cross-cutting categories
multiple independent dimensions applied to the same items simultaneously, allowing each item to belong to multiple categories and enabling complex queries that cut across dimensions
Dimensional poverty
the failure mode of classifying items along only one dimension and treating it as sufficient, preventing the system from answering questions that cut across multiple dimensions
Dimensional overload
the failure mode of creating so many cross-cutting categories that the classification system becomes more complex than the collection it organizes, with maintenance cost exceeding retrieval benefit
Relationships
the connections between entities that carry meaning equal to or greater than the entities themselves, with the structural properties of the connections determining what is possible and what isn't
Knowledge graph
a structured network of interconnected concepts where nodes represent ideas and edges represent relationships between them, with gaps indicating knowledge deficiencies and structural holes revealing blocked channels for insight
Explicit relationship
a connection between two precisely named entities that is stated with a specific relationship type (causal, correlational, temporal, enabling, inhibiting, or other) and supported by a documented evidence basis, making the relationship inspectable, testable, and subject to correction
Illusory correlation
the tendency to perceive a relationship between two things based on expectation rather than evidence, particularly when semantically associated pairs are overestimated as co-occurring even when actual data shows no correlation
Apophenia
the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things, particularly in the absence of actual relationships, which evolved as a pattern-detection mechanism that prioritizes false positives over false negatives
Causal relationship
a relationship between two things where a change in one thing produces a change in another through some mechanism, distinguished by interventionability - if you change the cause, the effect changes
Directed relationship
a connection between A and B where the relationship has an arrow flowing from a source to a target, from an origin to a destination, and the relationship means differently in each direction, with (A, B) being distinct from (B, A) in mathematical notation
Feedback loop
a structure formed when directed relationships create cycles where A affects B and B affects A, producing emergent properties that cannot be understood by examining any single arrow in isolation, with the cycle itself having properties distinct from individual directed arrows
Prerequisite relationship
a directed relationship between concepts where the dependent concept cannot be achieved without the prerequisite concept, characterized by necessity, asymmetry, and transitivity, and forming a directed acyclic graph structure
Contradictory relationship
a connection between two ideas in a knowledge system where both ideas have genuine evidence behind them, where both have served the individual well, and where the individual cannot hold both as fully true in the same sense at the same time
Surface contradiction
an apparent conflict between two beliefs that dissolves once you clarify the terms, scope, or context, resolving through clarification without cascading changes to other beliefs in the system
Structural contradiction
a contradictory relationship built into the structure of a domain, arising from competing demands within a system, that cannot be permanently resolved but only dynamically managed
Generative contradiction
a type of contradictory relationship where holding both sides simultaneously produces something that neither side could produce alone, serving as an engine for conceptual development and creative breakthroughs
Triangulation
the methodological approach of using multiple independent sources, observers, theories, or methods to validate a hypothesis or schema, where the independence of evidence sources creates meaningful convergence
Causal chain
a sequence of cause-and-effect relationships where each effect becomes the cause of the next link, with each link being a relationship that can be individually verified and tested, and where removing any single link breaks the chain and prevents the final outcome
Balancing loop
a feedback loop that resists change by pushing a system back toward a target, set point, or equilibrium, counteracting deviations from that target
System structure
the pattern that emerges when you see all the relationships between components simultaneously, which determines system behavior rather than individual components or actors
Implicit schema
a schema that operates below conscious awareness, activates automatically without deliberate control, and influences judgment and behavior without the person knowing it happened
Event schema (script)
a structured knowledge representation for familiar event sequences that determines what is noticed in an event, how it is interpreted, and what responses are considered appropriate or automatic