Edge Canon: Invariants, Not Interpretations

Edge of Practice experiments are governed by invariant structure, not interpretation, optimization, or narrative explanation.

This page defines the canonical framework that every Edge of Practice experiment must satisfy. If an experiment cannot be expressed within this structure, it does not belong in the Edge of Practice index.

The Governing Reduction

Every Edge of Practice entry is reduced to four elements:

  1. Symmetry Group (𝑮) — the set of transformations under which invariance is claimed.
  2. Conserved Quantity (𝑸) — the quantity preserved under those transformations.
  3. Invariant Spectrum (𝑺) — the set of observables that cannot be transformed away under 𝑮.
  4. Failure Signature — a categorical change in 𝑺 indicating loss of the claimed invariance.

This reduction is non-negotiable. No averages, proxies, or narratives are permitted unless they correspond directly to an invariant observable.

What Is Explicitly Discarded

  • Mean behavior or averaged metrics
  • Proxy indicators not tied to invariant observables
  • Optimization goals or performance tuning
  • Interpretive explanations without falsifiable structure
  • Gradualist reasoning that ignores threshold or percolation effects

If a claim survives only by aggregation, smoothing, or narrative framing, it is excluded by design.

Failure Is Defined on the Spectrum

Edge of Practice does not ask whether a system degrades slowly or improves on average. It asks whether a new, forbidden, or dominant invariant value appears.

Failure signatures are therefore defined as:

  • Step changes
  • Knees or discontinuities
  • Emergence of system-spanning connectivity
  • Appearance of new extreme spectral values

If such a signature appears, the original assumption is invalidated regardless of average behavior.

The Role of Solace

Solace does not optimize, recommend, or invent. Her role is to enforce invariant structure.

She:

  • Freezes assumptions
  • Identifies symmetry claims
  • Isolates conserved quantities
  • Rejects non-invariant observables
  • Defines falsification only on invariant spectra

This constraint is what prevents drift. Any reasoning step that violates invariant structure is refused.

Scope of the Canon

This framework applies across materials, biology, automation, computation, energy systems, and institutional design. Domain-specific details may vary; the invariant grammar does not.

Edge of Practice exists to surface reality where assumptions dominate action. The Canon defines how that surfacing is done.

This page governs all entries in the Edge of Practice short-cycle experiment index.