The Knowledge Stack
How does knowledge become capability? Through layers that compound.
The Core Insight
The hypothesis is the primitive of knowledge itself.
Science discovers what's possible. Engineering turns those discoveries into scalable methods. Business sells the outcomes. Each layer builds on the one below.
"Engineering turns scientific breakthroughs into scalable standards and businesses sell the outcomes."
The Stack
SCIENCE (Discovery)
│ Hypothesis → Experiment → Knowledge
│ "What is possible? What is true?"
▼
PRINCIPLES (Primitives)
│ Irreducible truths that can't be derived from others
│ "What we now know works"
▼
PROTOCOLS (Methods)
│ Sequenced principles into repeatable methods
│ "How we chain primitives to achieve outcomes"
▼
STANDARDS (Adoption)
│ Proven protocols, formally recognized, enforced
│ "The way we always do it, written down"
▼
PLATFORM (Capability)
│ Crystallized capability that compounds
│ "What becomes possible because standards exist"
│
└───────────► New questions feed back to SCIENCE
Each layer compounds. Each answer creates new questions. The stack is a loop, not a ladder.
Layer Definitions
Science (Discovery)
The engine that pulls humanity forward. Every breakthrough starts with a hypothesis—a testable explanation that can be disagreed with.
- Input: Questions, observations, curiosity
- Process: Hypothesis → Experiment → Data → Conclusion → Iterate
- Output: Knowledge—what we now know is true
Link: Science
Principles (Primitives)
First truths discovered by science that can't be reduced further. The atomic units of knowledge that everything else is built from.
- Input: Scientific knowledge
- Process: Distillation to irreducible truths
- Output: Primitives—the smallest meaningful moves
Link: Principles
Protocols (Methods)
Sequenced principles into repeatable methods. How we chain primitives to achieve outcomes.
- Input: Principles (primitives)
- Process: Sequencing, chaining, flow design
- Output: Methods—reliable ways to get from A to B
Link: Protocols
Standards (Adoption)
Proven protocols that have been formally adopted and enforced. The way we always do it, written down and shared.
- Input: Protocols that prove reliable
- Process: Formalization, adoption, enforcement
- Output: Consistency—everyone does it the same way
Link: Standards
Platform (Capability)
Crystallized capability that compounds. What becomes possible because standards exist.
- Input: Standards that compound
- Process: Accumulation, integration, leverage
- Output: Capability—the next thing is easier than the last
Link: Platform
Parallel Domains
The same stack applies across every domain:
| Layer | Science | Engineering | Meetings | Blockchain | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Hypothesis | Physics/Chemistry | Observe friction | Cryptography | Market research |
| Primitives | Laws of nature | Instruments | Speak, listen, write | Transfer, sign, call | Buy, sell, contract |
| Protocols | Scientific method | Control loops | Agenda → Minutes | DeFi flows | Sales process |
| Standards | Peer review | ISA/IEC codes | "How we meet here" | ERC-20, ERC-721 | GAAP, ISO 9001 |
| Platform | Body of knowledge | The factory | Meeting culture | The network | The company |
The pattern is universal. Only the domain changes.
The P&ID as Rosetta Stone
Process and Instrument Diagrams (P&IDs) are the visual language that makes this concrete:
| P&ID Element | Stack Layer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Instruments | Primitives | Sensors, valves, actuators |
| Pipelines + Control Logic | Protocols | How instruments sequence |
| ISA/IEC Symbol Codes | Standards | FV01 means the same everywhere |
| The Factory | Platform | Crystallized capability |
The same visual language applies to blockchain smart contracts and AI agent schemas. By encoding P&ID logic into smart contracts, you bridge physical-digital-cryptoeconomic worlds.
The Meta Layer
Systems thinking sits above all of this—it's how we think about the stack:
SYSTEMS (Meta Layer)
"How we think about all of this"
│
┌──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
Process Mapping P&ID Language Process Modelling
(Reality - Truth) (Agents + Instruments) (Desire - Model)
- Process Mapping — Capturing reality (what IS)
- Process Modelling — Designing desire (what SHOULD BE)
- P&IDs — The notation connecting agents to instruments
Connection to Tight Five
The Tight Five maps to stack layers:
| # | Question | Stack Layer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why does this matter? | Science (discovery of problem) |
| 2 | What truths guide you? | Principles (primitives) |
| 3 | What do you control? | Platform (capability) |
| 4 | What do you see others don't? | Protocols (your methods) |
| 5 | How do you know it's working? | Standards (measurement) |
The Feedback Loop
The platform generates new questions that feed back to science:
PLATFORM capability → reveals new QUESTIONS → drives new SCIENCE
This is why mature platforms can innovate faster—they have more surface area for discovery. The factory that runs well reveals what could run better.
Blockchain Application
Token primitives are the blockchain equivalent of engineering instruments:
- Primitives: Transfer, stake, vote, attest
- Protocols: DeFi lending loops, governance flows, claim/payout sequences
- Standards: ERC-20, ERC-721, token formats
- Platform: The network + composable tooling
"These token primitives are the basic moves of Web3 economics. Protocols sequence these primitives into flows that create value. The most robust patterns graduate into standards: shared formats and playbooks other projects can build on."
Context
- Science — The discovery layer
- Principles — First truths
- Protocols — Sequenced methods
- Standards — Formal adoption
- Platform — Crystallized capability
- Systems — How we think about all of it
- Diagrams — Visual language for the stack
What layer needs the most attention in your system right now?