OSTOE — open-source theory of everything, claims registry

Stated / proposed Method — mechanism first, resolution where earned, formalism last

id: method-mechanism-first · filed: 2026-10-04 · depends: — · falsifier: if a mechanism stated this way cannot be discriminated by any stated observation, the method permits saying so — that is a permitted outcome

[S] Governing discipline for every entry here.

1. Never increase the resolution of a claim beyond what the mechanism presently specifies. If A "interacts with" B, the open questions are: what changes in A, what changes in B, what passes between them, what remains invariant, and what observation would distinguish the proposed interaction. They are not: which named operator from the existing literature best resembles "interaction."
2. Names come after mechanisms. Formalization is permitted to represent, sharpen, or refute a mechanism once it is understood. It is not permitted to replace an unresolved mechanism merely because adjacent mathematics exists.
3. Attack connectors. For A → B → C, ask why A produces B and whether B necessarily produces C. A beautiful endpoint does not repair a missing connector.
4. A gap is a blurry region, not permission to invent pixels. Mark it [G] and keep working elsewhere.
5. Falsification is mechanism-level. "There is no theorem named after this" is not an objection. "Removing the proposed cause removes the predicted effect" is.
6. When a component is established, re-check everything downstream. [S] → [E] changes one component's status only; dependent [F] claims are re-audited.

The goal is not to make speculative ideas look established. It is to make the speculative part so explicit and mechanically coherent that reality can answer it piece by piece.