Earlier Reference Text
Definitions That Govern The System
Why This MattersRead the earlier reference in its original context, with its historical statements and limits preserved.
Definitions that govern the system
Preserved Foundation Text / v0.2This archived section describes an earlier release. Its historical statements about deployment and unbuilt tools refer to that edition.
| Term | Working definition |
|---|---|
| Durable agency | Sustained practical capacity to meet needs, make meaningful choices, recover and fulfill responsibilities. |
| Freedom | Usable choice within real constraints; no implication of unlimited independence or control. |
| Wealth | Resources and claims available for chosen purposes. Financial wealth is measured separately from health, care and social support. |
| Asset | A resource or ownership claim with economic value at a stated date and accounting boundary. Cash generation is a separate property. |
| Liability / debt | An attributable obligation. Do not confuse the obligation with the asset it may finance. |
| Liquidity | Cash available on the relevant timeline without an unmodeled sale, penalty or new loan. |
| Resilience | Capacity to continue essential functions and recover under specified disruptions; always scenario- and horizon-dependent. |
| Optionality | Specific feasible alternatives, with their costs and access requirements stated. A count of hypothetical choices is insufficient. |
| Power | Capacity to influence outcomes; legitimate exercise remains constrained by consent, rights and fair dealing. |
| Enough | A household-defined level of provision and burden suited to its aims; subject to review as circumstances change. |
| Evidence | Information that bears on a particular claim. Authority, plausibility and confidence are not interchangeable with causal evidence. |
| Ruin / unacceptable failure | A predeclared loss of essential function or unacceptable obligation. It is person-specific and cannot be inferred solely from a low account balance. |
Definitions are conventions for this framework. They are not discoveries, diagnoses or a claim to replace established accounting or measurement disciplines.