B.5.TC:10 - Architectural Rationale

The unit of comparison is an application because a theory’s objects alone leave its useful inference undetermined. Reconstructing that inference makes differences in representation, premises and operations comparable without first imposing a common ontology on every source concept.

Working a shared case provides a place to connect the accounts. Following the dependency that causes a difference then supports a broader argument or a discriminating example. These operations complement one another: a derivation establishes scope, while an example can reveal that the chosen scope misses the work’s question.

Separating agreement, complementary use and unresolved difference keeps the result productive. An account may remain preferable for a cheap prediction and insufficient for an intervention. Another may be harder to use now yet expose a construction worth developing. This preserves the connection between obtaining knowledge, applying it and improving the available ways of inquiry.