Authoritative specification of Structural Explainability (SE).
The Structural Explainability (SE) specification defines the minimal, interpretation-neutral constraints under which identity, structure, change, explanation, and disagreement can coexist over time.
SE establishes a shared representational substrate that remains stable across incompatible epistemic, causal, and normative frameworks.
The purpose of SE is to define the conditions under which explanation is possible without being embedded.
SE enables external frameworks to explain, evaluate, or judge recorded structures while preventing those interpretations from being asserted as substrate facts.
SE concerns representation only. It does not determine meaning, correctness, or responsibility.
This specification defines:
- neutrality constraints on representation
- explicit identity and persistence requirements
- structured, non-destructive representation of change
- boundaries between structure and interpretation
This specification does NOT define:
- causal explanations or mechanisms
- epistemic truth or validation
- normative judgment or enforcement
- domain vocabularies or application semantics
- decision-making or optimization logic
SE is the foundational substrate.
- Structural Explainability (SE) defines admissible representation constraints.
- Accountable Entities (AE) refine identity and persistence regimes.
- Evolution Protocol (EP) defines structural change over time.
- Contextual Evidence & Explanations (CEE) attach interpretation above the substrate.
No downstream specification may weaken or override SE constraints.
- SE is foundational and has no upstream dependencies.
- AE, EP, and CEE are defined as downstream specifications.
- All downstream specifications MUST conform to SE neutrality constraints.
- Interpretation, explanation, and evaluation occur strictly outside SE.
- SPEC.md - Normative specification
- IDENTIFIERS.md - Stable requirement identifiers
- CONFORMANCE.md - Conformance checklist
- ANNOTATIONS.md - Annotation standards
- LICENSE - licensing terms
- CITATION.cff - Citation metadata
- CHANGELOG.md - Version history
Structural Explainability defines what may be represented and how it may change, without asserting what is known, why it happened, or what ought to be done.
By separating structure from interpretation, SE ensures that:
- shared structural history remains stable and neutral,
- incompatible explanations may coexist without contradiction,
- accountability is preserved under persistent disagreement.
SE enables explanation without becoming explanatory.