Canonical

Overview

The foundational documents of the Semantic Infrastructure Lab

These are the authoritative, definitive documents that define SIL's mission, principles, technical architecture, and governance. If you're new to SIL, start here.

Core Foundation

Manifesto ⭐ Start Here

15 minutes | Why semantic infrastructure matters

The problem with contemporary AI systems: they lack explicit meaning, stable memory, inspectable reasoning, and provenance. SIL exists to build this missing layer.

This is the starting point - understand the problem before exploring the solution.

Principles

10 minutes | The 14 principles that guide all SIL work

  • 5 core principles (Clarity, Simplicity, Composability, Correctness, Verifiability)
  • 9 operational principles (Structure before heuristics, Meaning must be explicit, Provenance everywhere, etc.)

These principles guide everything we build.

Glossary

Reference | Canonical vocabulary (61 terms)

Precise definitions for all core concepts. Keep this open while reading other documents.

This is your reference guide - if you encounter an unfamiliar term, it's defined here.

Semantic OS Architecture

30 minutes | Six-layer technical architecture

Detailed explanation of the 6-layer Semantic Operating System:
- Layer 0: Semantic Memory
- Layer 1: Universal Intermediate Representation (USIR)
- Layer 2: Domain Modules
- Layer 3: Agent Orchestration
- Layer 4: Deterministic Computation Engines
- Layer 5: Semantic Interface Manager (SIM)

This is the technical foundation of everything SIL builds.

Stewardship Manifesto

20 minutes | Values and governance

How SIL approaches stewardship, decision-making, and long-term sustainability.

Core commitments:
- Open research and transparent development
- Stewardship over ownership
- Long-term thinking
- Accountability to the community

Founder's Letter

10 minutes | Personal perspective

A personal introduction from the founder explaining why SIL exists, what gap it fills in modern AI infrastructure, and the commitment to explicit meaning and provenance.

This provides the human context behind the technical work.

Research Contributions

These canonical documents present specific research contributions and theoretical frameworks emerging from SIL work.

Semantic Feedback Loops

40 minutes | Closed-loop control for semantic systems

How semantic systems achieve precision through reflection-measurement-correction loops, analogous to op-amps in electronics. Establishes feedback loops as first-class primitives in semantic infrastructure.

Semantic Observability ⭐ NEW

45 minutes | Automated intent-execution alignment detection

Framework for measuring semantic system health through vector embeddings, multi-dimensional fitness metrics, and automated classification of user signals. Enables continuous optimization without manual intervention.

Key innovations:
- Intent-execution mismatch as primary health signal
- Automated frustration/satisfaction classification via embeddings
- Multi-dimensional fitness: f(alignment, efficiency, satisfaction)

Multi-Agent Protocol Principles

30 minutes | Communication patterns for agent coordination

Principles for designing multi-agent communication protocols that enable composable, transparent agent collaboration.

Founder's Note: Multi-Shot Agent Learning

35 minutes | Learning across agent interactions

How agents can learn and improve through multiple interaction cycles, building institutional memory.

Reading Paths

Path 1: Quick Start (30 minutes)

Perfect for: First-time visitors, curious developers

  1. Manifesto (15 min) ← Why SIL exists
  2. Glossary (quick reference) ← Key terms
  3. Founder's Letter (10 min) ← Personal context

Output: You understand what SIL is and why it matters.

Path 2: Technical Understanding (1.5 hours)

Perfect for: Engineers, architects who want depth

  1. Manifesto (15 min)
  2. Principles (10 min)
  3. Semantic OS Architecture (30 min)
  4. Stewardship Manifesto (20 min)
  5. Glossary (ongoing reference)

Output: You understand SIL's technical architecture and governance model.

Path 3: Complete Mastery (2 hours)

Perfect for: Core contributors, stewards

Read all 6 documents in order listed above, then explore:
- Tools - See SIL principles in production code
- Research - Formal research papers
- Architecture - The universal pattern
- Projects - What's been built

Output: Complete understanding of SIL's foundation.

Document Organization

Core Documents (6):
1. SIL_MANIFESTO.md - The problem and vision
2. SIL_PRINCIPLES.md - The 14 guiding principles
3. SIL_GLOSSARY.md - Canonical vocabulary
4. SIL_SEMANTIC_OS_ARCHITECTURE.md - The 6-layer stack
5. SIL_STEWARDSHIP_MANIFESTO.md - Values and governance
6. FOUNDERS_LETTER.md - Personal context

Total Reading Time: ~2 hours (all core docs)

Why These Documents?

Manifesto → The "why" - understand the problem
Principles → The "how" - our design philosophy
Glossary → The "what" - shared vocabulary
Semantic OS → The "architecture" - technical foundation
Stewardship → The "governance" - how we operate
Founder's Letter → The "context" - human perspective

Together, these six documents provide everything you need to understand SIL's foundation.

Related Content

Want to go deeper after reading core docs?

  • Additional research, technical details, and vision documents are available in staging tiers
  • Contact via GitHub if you're interested in collaboration or accessing extended content

Last Updated: 2025-12-04
Total Documents: 6 core + 4 research contributions = 10 canonical docs
Total Reading Time: ~2 hours for foundation + 2.5 hours for research = 4.5 hours total

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