The 12 Problems
A candidate taxonomy I am actively testing for an irreducible thirteenth problem.
Explore the taxonomy →Distributed reasoning, made inspectable
Across people, systems, workflows, and AI, I keep the path from evidence to decision visible and governed.
Follow the
reasoning.
AI can produce a next step without showing why it is justified—or whether it has authority to act.
I am developing ReasoningArc to make the evidence, judgment, uncertainty, and permission behind consequential decisions inspectable.
Personal research project; no software, certification, consulting, or other services are offered for sale.
Capability is not authority.
A system may evaluate or recommend without permission to decide or execute. Before commitment, current authority must be checked; missing evidence or authority means pause, abstain, or escalate.
Who this is for
A research architecture for people who design and review consequential workflows.
I intend this site for practitioners shaping AI-enabled processes, reviewers who need to inspect decisions, and researchers willing to challenge the architecture.
ReasoningArc is an evolving research framework and working architecture. It is not a certification, regulatory standard, or proven safety guarantee.
A practical way to use this site
01 · ORIENTStart with the architecture and its authority boundaries.
02 · APPLYWalk through the worked case; trace evidence to evaluation to an authorized outcome.
03 · CHALLENGETry to falsify the twelve-problem hypothesis or expose a missing control.
04 · CHECKReview test history, open questions, and the change ledger before treating an idea as settled.
Start here
Short path in. Deep record behind it.
Each page separates established working requirements from hypotheses, observations, and questions that remain open.
Architecture
How context, evidence, evaluation, authority, action, escalation, and records connect.
Follow the architecture →Adversarial Lab
Recorded tabletop runs, limitations, and one illustrative end-to-end example.
Inspect the test record →RESOLVED · DOCUMENT CONTROL
A defect appeared in my own controlled documentation.
A document-control inconsistency was identified in the ReasoningArc Decision Authority Standard v0.2 during the September 30 adversarial review. The header and change log correctly identified v0.2 / September 22, 2026, while the Document Control table retained v0.1 / August 10, 2026 metadata.
The controlled source has been corrected and verified. The historical finding remains in the Change Ledger as a resolved governance defect rather than being removed.
See the retained change record →