Core Concepts

The design principles underlying cooperative infrastructure

research

Core Concepts

Collusion Labs is built on design traditions — numbered principles (TR-001 through TR-018) that guide every architectural decision. These aren't abstract theory; they're tested patterns from building cooperative systems.

The Core Concepts sub-project documents the intellectual foundations: temporal authority (governance weight that decays over time), witness validation (community confirmation of claims), the workshop-to-commons knowledge flow, and the contribution taxonomy that classifies how people participate.

Key Concepts

  • Temporal Authority (TR-004): Authority must be continuously earned. Recent practice matters more.
  • Witness Validation (TR-005): Known through relationships, not bureaucratic proof.
  • Workshop + Commons (TR-001): Private workspace flows to public portfolio. Nothing moves without permission.
  • AI Refinement Separation (TR-012): Original content is immutable. AI output is always a separate proposal.