Description
If epistemic decisions are not encoded, they will be re-litigated. Humans do this slowly; agents do it instantly. The problem is the same: settled ground doesn't stay settled unless it is made durable.
ODD exists to encode decisions once so reasoning compounds instead of resetting.
Content
Canon v0.1
What Counts as "Epistemic"
- scope closures
- boundary definitions
- refusal conditions
- default assumptions
- what "done" means
- what qualifies as evidence
What This Forces
- record decisions at the moment of closure
- make decisions inspectable by others (including agents)
- prefer stable language over improvisation
What This Forbids
- relying on memory, vibes, or "we talked about it"
- repeated arbitration of settled ground
- treating "agreement" as a durable artifact
Evidence Requirements
A decision record must include at least:
- what was decided
- what was rejected (and why)
- what evidence supported the decision (or that it remains a hypothesis)