Bounded Inquiry
Overview
Unbounded inquiry cannot terminate - every answer opens new questions. Bounded inquiry can terminate - closure is possible within scope.
This procedure establishes explicit boundaries for any inquiry, enabling satisfying closure rather than infinite regress.
Depth Scaling
Default: 2x. Parse depth from $ARGUMENTS if specified (e.g., “/bi 4x [input]”).
| Depth | Min Inquiry Branches | Min Depth per Branch | Min Boundary Tests | Min Convergence Checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2x | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 4x | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 8x | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 16x | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
These are floors. Go deeper where insight is dense. Compress where it’s not.
Steps
Step 1: Establish goal boundary
Before beginning inquiry, explicitly state:
- What are we trying to achieve?
- What would count as success?
- What would this achievement enable?
Be specific. “Understand X” is too vague. “Be able to predict Y given Z” is specific.
Output: goal_statement
Step 2: Establish scope boundary
Explicitly state:
- What is IN scope for this inquiry?
- What is OUT of scope?
- Where are the edges?
Questions outside scope are acknowledged but deferred: “That’s outside this inquiry. We can address it separately.”
Output: scope_definition
Step 3: Establish rules boundary
Explicitly state:
- What counts as valid reasoning here?
- What evidence standards apply?
- What would we accept as an answer?
This prevents moving goalposts and endless “but what if?”
Output: rules_definition
Step 4: Establish stakes boundary
Explicitly state:
- Why does this inquiry matter?
- What depends on its completion?
- What’s the cost of not terminating?
If there are no stakes, ask: Why are we doing this?
Output: stakes_definition
Step 5: Conduct inquiry within boundaries
Pursue the inquiry, but check against boundaries:
- Is this question within scope?
- Does this answer serve the goal?
- Does this reasoning follow the rules?
- Are we respecting the stakes?
Out-of-scope questions: Acknowledge and defer. Goal-irrelevant tangents: Note and return. Rule-violating moves: Reject or flag.
Output: inquiry_process
Step 6: Recognize termination
Inquiry terminates when:
- Goal is achieved (success)
- Goal is shown unachievable within scope (bounded failure)
- Stakes require decision now (practical closure)
- Remaining questions are out of scope (scoped completion)
State the termination explicitly: “This inquiry is complete because [criterion].”
Output: termination_statement