A — AXIOM
Definition: A foundational claim that cannot be derived from other claims within the system.
Epistemological Role
- Load-bearing: Remove an axiom → system collapses
- Primitive: Cannot be proven from simpler claims
- Self-evident or unavoidable: Denial leads to performative contradiction
Test for Axiom Status
“Can this claim be derived from other claims in the system?”
- If NO → Axiom
- If YES → Demote to Theorem, Property, or Corollary
Count
37 Axioms in the full spine (A1.1 through A19.1)
Examples
| ID | Name | Statement |
|---|---|---|
| A1.1 | Existence | Something exists rather than nothing |
| A1.2 | Distinction | Existence requires distinguishability |
| A1.3 | Information Primacy | Information is ontologically primitive |
| A2.2 | Self-Grounding | Fundamental substrate self-instantiates |
| A5.1 | Observation Requirement | Information requires observer to actualize |
| A6.1 | Superposition | Pre-observation systems exist in superposition |
| A6.2 | Collapse | Observation collapses to definite eigenstate |
| A8.1 | Binary Distinction | Moral orientation admits only ±1 |
| A8.2 | Sign Conservation | Self-operations cannot change sign |
| A11.1 | Moral Realism | Moral facts exist objectively |
| A12.2 | Bimodal Outcome | Sign determines destiny (two attractors) |
Full List
See: A - Axioms
Structural Subset
Of these 37 axioms, 32 are structural (S1-S32 in STRUCTURAL_AXIOMS.md).
The remaining 5 are derived from structural axioms and could be demoted:
- A2.1 (derives from A1.3 + A2.2)
- A3.1 (derives from A1.2 + A1.3)
- A5.2 (derives from A5.1 + A6.2)
- etc.
Axioms are the foundation. Everything else derives from or supports them.