Epistemic Obligation and Document Tiers

This document explains the three-tier system used to organize content in this repository. Tiers are not about importance, value, or quality. They are about epistemic obligation—how much a reader or system is obligated to absorb and respect content at each level. Tier 1 carries foundational obligation and rarely changes. Tier 2 carries shared obligation and evolves carefully. Tier 3 carries awareness without obligation and may change freely. Tiers are orthogonal to folders. Any folder may contain documents at any tier.

• MUST absorb Tier 1 content fully before proceeding; contradiction is a serious error
• MUST respect Tier 2 content by default; deviation requires documented justification
• MUST NOT conflate tier with importance; tiers describe epistemic obligation, not value
• MUST NOT use Tier 0 as "low importance"; Tier 0 is scope exclusion from the epistemic system entirely
• MUST treat tiers as orthogonal to folders; any folder may contain documents at any tier

• Tier 1: absorb fully, do not contradict, do not reinterpret without explicit justification
• Tier 2: follow by default, document deviations, respect unless explicitly overridden
• Tier 3: reference when relevant, may ignore when not applicable, free to rebuild
• Tier 0: exclude from agent context, exclude from context-packs, not comparable to Tier 1-3
• When uncertain about tier assignment, ask: "How much must I internalize this before proceeding?"

• Tier as Importance: Treating Tier 1 as "most important" and Tier 3 as "least important"
• Ignoring Relevant Tier 3: Skipping Tier 3 content that matters for specific execution
• Over-weighting Tier 1: Applying Tier 1 content when it doesn't apply to current task
• False Elevation: Putting low-obligation content at Tier 2, creating false urgency
• Tier 0 Confusion: Treating Tier 0 as low-obligation rather than scope-excluded

• Tier assignment reflects epistemic obligation, not perceived importance
• Tier 1 content is stable, rarely changed, and contradictions are treated as serious errors
• Tier 2 deviations are documented with explicit justification
• Tier 0 content is excluded from agent reasoning and context-packs
• Folder placement and tier assignment are independent decisions

Canon v0.1

What Tiers Mean

Tiers describe epistemic obligation:

The tier system answers: "How much must I internalize this before proceeding?"

Tier 1: Foundational Obligation

Tier 1 content must be fully absorbed before proceeding. It cannot be safely ignored or skimmed.

Characteristics:

• Contradiction is a serious error
• Reinterpretation requires explicit justification
• Changes are rare and deliberate
• Stability is expected across long timescales

Epistemic obligation: Absorb fully. Do not contradict. Do not reinterpret without explicit justification.

Cross-folder examples: A manifesto in odd/, a core constraint in canon/, or a critical process in docs/ could all be Tier 1.

Tier 2: Shared Obligation

Tier 2 content should be respected by default. It represents agreed conventions that apply unless explicitly overridden.

Characteristics:

• Deviation is allowed but must be documented
• Changes happen carefully with awareness of downstream impact
• Content is stable but not immutable
• Readers should know this content exists and follow it unless they have reason not to

Epistemic obligation: Respect unless explicitly overridden. Follow by default. Document deviations.

Cross-folder examples: A decision record in odd/, a shared rule in canon/, or a standard process in docs/ could all be Tier 2.

Tier 3: Awareness Without Obligation

Tier 3 content is available for reference but carries no obligation to internalize. It exists so you can find it when needed.

Characteristics:

• May be ignored when not relevant
• Changes freely without requiring broad awareness
• Useful for specific tasks, not general orientation
• Can be rebuilt or discarded without system-wide impact

Epistemic obligation: Reference when relevant. May ignore when not applicable. Free to rebuild.

Cross-folder examples: An appendix in odd/, a template in canon/, or a how-to guide in docs/ could all be Tier 3.

Why Tier 3 Exists

Tier 3 exists because not everything needs to be internalized.

Some content:

• Is useful only in specific contexts
• Changes frequently without broad impact
• Serves reference purposes rather than orientation
• Deserves documentation without demanding absorption

Without Tier 3, either:

• Low-obligation content gets elevated to Tier 2 (creating false urgency)
• Low-obligation content goes undocumented (creating knowledge gaps)

Tier 3 gives content a home without giving it unearned epistemic weight.

Tier 0: Scope Exclusion (Not a Tier)

Tier 0 is not part of the epistemic tier system. It is a scope exclusion marker.

Content marked Tier 0 is:

• Public-facing and intended for human readers
• Excluded from agent reasoning contexts
• Excluded from default context-packs
• Not comparable to Tier 1–3 content

Tier 0 is not "lower obligation than Tier 3." It is outside the epistemic ladder entirely.

Use Tier 0 for: About pages, marketing content, visitor-facing explanations—content that exists for humans, not for systems reasoning about the repository.

Do not confuse: Tier 0 with Tier 3. Tier 3 is low-obligation content within the epistemic system. Tier 0 is excluded from the epistemic system altogether.

Tiers Are Not Importance

A common misunderstanding: "Tier 1 is most important, Tier 3 is least important."

This is wrong.

Tiers describe epistemic obligation, not importance.

A Tier 3 document might be critically important for today's deployment. A Tier 1 document might be philosophically foundational but irrelevant to a specific task.

The question tiers answer: "How much must I internalize this?"

The question tiers do not answer: "How important is this?"

Conflating the two leads to either:

• Ignoring Tier 3 content that matters for execution
• Over-weighting Tier 1 content that doesn't apply

• Three-Tier Conceptual Hierarchy — The decision that established the folder model (orthogonal to tiers)