Research does not establish a conclusion.
It identifies questions, develops propositions, and tests them against evidence and alternatives.
Reference map
AIDE Architecture
AIDE’s map of how commitments, research, representations, methods, systems, and durable knowledge relate.
This map identifies each part by its role and relationship. A working theory, a method, a system, and an evidence claim are not interchangeable.
The architecture
Connected work, distinct roles.
AIDE’s work includes commitments, a research program, a theory, a model, a method, a standards architecture, systems, and knowledge practices. The map makes their relationships visible without treating them as interchangeable.
It is not a hierarchy of certainty. The Compact sets collaboration terms; research investigates; theory proposes; models represent; methods examine; standards architectures observe; systems put work into practice; and stewardship preserves what can be challenged and carried forward.
Origin field
Systems field
Applied, distinct, and expandable.
Current systems and stewardship practices implement, support, and preserve AIDE work in different roles.
Reading the map
Why the distinctions matter.
A theory does not become validated because it informs a method or system.
SCT is used and examined within AIDE; its broader scientific and practical value remains an open research question.
A system does not inherit authority from its sophistication.
AIDE systems can organize, analyze, and preserve work. Human participants retain authority over purpose, judgment, and consequential decisions.
Knowledge infrastructure does not merely store results.
It makes claims, evidence, definitions, decisions, revisions, and unresolved questions durable enough to inspect and improve.
Practical path
From inquiry to durable work.
A question enters the research and method layers. An appropriate system helps organize the work. Knowledge stewardship preserves the evidence, interpretation, decisions, and open questions that result. Human judgment remains present throughout.