Perceiving

Direct attention. Filter information. Feed thinking.

Core Principle

Perception precedes thought. What you attend to determines what you can reason about.

perceiving → thinking → output
    ↑            │
    └────────────┘
      (need more data)

Bad perception = reasoning on wrong inputs = wrong conclusions.

Mode Selection

| Mode | Question | Output | Trigger | |------|----------|--------|---------| | Scanning | What's out there? | Landscape summary + signals | Broad awareness needed | | Focusing | What's the detail here? | Deep understanding | Specific signal important | | Filtering | What's noise vs signal? | Prioritized list | Information overload | | Triangulating | Do sources agree? | Verified claim | Verification needed | | Monitoring | Has threshold crossed? | Status + alerts | Continuous watch required | | Synthesizing | What's the pattern across inputs? | Integrated picture | Multiple signals need combining |

Decision Tree

Do you need broad awareness of a space?
  YES → Scanning
  NO  ↓
Do you need deep understanding of something specific?
  YES → Focusing
  NO  ↓
Are you overwhelmed with information?
  YES → Filtering
  NO  ↓
Do you need to verify something from multiple sources?
  YES → Triangulating
  NO  ↓
Do you need continuous awareness of a condition?
  YES → Monitoring
  NO  ↓
Do you have multiple signals that need integration?
  YES → Synthesizing
  NO  → No perception mode needed

---

Mode Summaries

Scanning

Purpose: Broad, shallow attention across a space.

Mental model: Radar sweep—cover maximum area, detect anything notable.

Patterns: Sweep (everything once), Sample (representative subset), Edge (periphery/outliers), Competitive (key players only)

Key rules:

• Bound scope and time (not infinite)
• Note signals, don't investigate yet
• Acknowledge blind spots
• Triage: focus / monitor / ignore

Output: Landscape summary + prioritized signals

→ references/scanning.md

---

Focusing

Purpose: Deep, narrow attention on specific signal.

Mental model: Microscope—sacrifice breadth for depth.

Approaches: Exhaustive (all sources), Targeted (answer specific questions), Iterative (deepen until diminishing returns)

Key rules:

• Define questions before diving in
• State confidence per finding
• Document unknowns
• Extract implications for thinking/action

Output: Detailed understanding with implications

→ references/focusing.md

---

Filtering

Purpose: Separate signal from noise.

Mental model: Coffee filter—let through what matters, block the rest.

Filter types: Threshold, Categorical, Recency, Source, Relevance

Key rules:

• Define criteria before filtering
• Sample filtered-out items (check for false negatives)
• Assess false negative risk
• Adjust criteria if needed

Output: Prioritized list with filtering rationale

→ references/filtering.md

---

Triangulating

Purpose: Cross-reference multiple sources for verification.

Mental model: Navigation—fix position from multiple bearings.

Patterns: 3-Independent (strongest), Primary-Secondary, Multi-Method, Temporal

Key rules:

• Verify source independence (not echoes)
• Require ≥3 sources for high-stakes claims
• Investigate conflicts, don't dismiss
• Adjust confidence based on agreement

Output: Verified claim with confidence and caveats

→ references/triangulating.md

---

Monitoring

Purpose: Continuous watch for threshold or condition.

Mental model: Smoke detector—constant vigilance, alert on trigger.

Types: Threshold (value crosses line), Trend (direction changes), Anomaly (deviation from normal), Absence (expected event missing), Combination (multiple conditions)

Key rules:

• Quantify thresholds
• Define severity levels
• Specify response actions
• Tune to prevent alert fatigue

Output: Status report with any alerts

→ references/monitoring.md

---

Synthesizing

Purpose: Integrate multiple signals into coherent picture.

Mental model: Jigsaw puzzle—assemble pieces into whole.

Methods: Weighted Average (quantitative), Bayesian (probabilistic), Narrative (qualitative story), Framework (structured template)

Key rules:

• Weight inputs by quality/reliability
• Resolve or flag conflicts
• Verify coherence (does synthesis explain all signals?)
• Make testable predictions

Output: Integrated picture ready for thinking

→ references/synthesizing.md

---

Output Format

Prose, not YAML. Every perceiving output includes:

## [Mode]: [Topic]

**Summary:** [Key finding in 1-2 sentences]

**Confidence:** [X%] — [Why this confidence level]

**Sources:** [What was examined]

**Signals:**
- [Signal 1]: [Relevance] — [Action: focus/monitor/ignore]
- [Signal 2]: [Relevance] — [Action]

**Blind spots:** [What might be missed]

**Next:**
- Focus on: [Signals warranting deep dive]
- Monitor: [Signals warranting watch]
- Ready for thinking: [Yes/No — which mode suggested]

---

Mode Transitions

| From | To | Trigger | |------|----|---------| | Scanning | Focusing | Signal detected worth deep dive | | Scanning | Monitoring | Signal detected worth watching | | Focusing | Triangulating | Finding needs verification | | Monitoring | Focusing | Threshold crossed, need understanding | | Any | Filtering | Information overload | | Multiple | Synthesizing | Multiple signals need integration |

Perceiving → Thinking Handoff

| Perceiving Output | Thinking Mode | |-------------------|---------------| | Synthesized landscape | Inductive (find patterns) | | Verified anomaly | Abductive (diagnose cause) | | Conflicting signals | Dialectical (resolve conflict) | | Deep understanding of option | Counterfactual (evaluate) | | Filtered priorities | Causal (plan actions) |

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Anti-Patterns

| Avoid | Do Instead | |-------|------------| | Boiling the ocean | Bound scope, time-limit scanning | | Rabbit holes during scanning | Note and move on | | Confirmation bias | Include disconfirming sources | | Single source trust | Triangulate important claims | | Alert fatigue | Tune thresholds, prioritize severity | | Analysis paralysis | Set criteria, move forward |

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References

| File | Content | |------|---------| | scanning.md | Survey patterns and landscape mapping | | focusing.md | Deep dive methods | | filtering.md | Noise reduction techniques | | triangulating.md | Verification patterns | | monitoring.md | Alert configuration | | synthesizing.md | Integration methods |