The Persistence Problem
Modern epistemic systems fail not due to a lack of intelligence, but due to the persistence of authority without renewal. Influence accumulates faster than it can be contested, leading to "consensus lock-in."
"Truth has topography: some claims form deep valleys where consensus collects, while others remain as plateaus where disagreement persists."
The K₀(z) Temporal Decay Kernel
Variforum proposes that authority should be a consumable resource. Only effortful human verification can renew the decay clock. Without active renewal, even the most established truths fade into the "Subjective Shadow," allowing fresh evidence to emerge without being suppressed by historical momentum.
K₀(z): A Temporal Decay Kernel
Full technical specification by Kyle P. Brummet — Variforum Protocol
1. Problem Statement
In digital systems—especially those augmented by automation—authority tends to accumulate without natural entropy. This manifests as reputational scores that never reset, expert credentials that permanently outweigh dissent, and models trained on their own outputs. When authority does not decay, systems drift toward lock-in.
2. The K₀(z) Kernel
We define epistemic weight using the Modified Bessel Function of the Second Kind (order zero). Unlike exponential decay, K₀(z) exhibits:
- Immediate Salience: A bounded singularity at zero ensures fresh verification is decisively influential.
- Mandatory Renewal: Rapid early decay penalizes staleness quickly.
- Soft Expiry: A long asymptotic tail preserves minority knowledge without permanent deletion.
3. Stability & AI Governance
Under this protocol, AI systems remain useful only while coupled to human verification. Model-generated content decays but cannot self-renew. AI cannot become epistemically sovereign.
Challenge the Logic in the AuditorThe Topography of Truth
Truth is not a flat plane of binary facts. It is a multi-dimensional map with peaks of consensus and valleys of dispute.
Gravity Wells
When verified human participants reach sustained consensus, they generate a Gravity Well. The depth of the well determines the claim's weight in the network topography.
Domain Supremacy
Knowledge is divided into Eight Canonical Domains (Science, Health, Tech, Law, etc.). The Principe of Domain Supremacy ensures that claims with physical-world consequences are governed by empirical verification, preventing theological or cultural consensus from overriding physical safety.
Live Epistemic Friction
Real-time stream of claims currently being contested by the network immune system.
Syncing with the Mesh...