Convergence Diagnostics
Convergence Diagnostics (收斂的操作判準) is a flow-class criterion — four checks for asking "is this system's convergence mechanism functioning normally?"
The full existential definition of convergence and divergence, its relation to knowing, the distinction between forced and voluntary convergence, and the boundary clauses are in Convergence and Divergence. This entry only carries the operational criteria used for system diagnosis.
Field definition
Four diagnostic criteria for whether convergence is functioning normally.
This is not a yardstick for "how good the convergence is". It is a tool for checking "whether the convergence mechanism itself is broken".
The four operational criteria
| Criterion | Definition |
|---|---|
| Consistency | Under the same conditions, the system does not drift arbitrarily to unrelated conclusions |
| Re-entry | After a gap, re-entering returns to the neighborhood of the same solution |
| Traceability | The reasoning path or evidence can be pointed at |
| Recoverable impact | The drift caused by prior interaction can be pulled back (self-correction) |
How to use the four
- All four present → convergence is normal; the system can output stably
- Consistency fails → the system is drifting; outputs are unreliable
- Re-entry fails → the system cannot return to itself; stance is unstable
- Traceability fails → the system runs in a black box; cannot be calibrated
- Recoverable impact fails → the system has drifted and cannot return; accumulation risk rises
These four do not check "is the answer right". They check:
- Does the same condition produce the same answer? (Consistency)
- After leaving and coming back, do we land near the same place? (Re-entry)
- Are the steps visible? (Traceability)
- When off course, can the system come back? (Recoverable impact)
Relationship to Health
One of the core conditions of Health is "drift can be corrected via fine-tuning" — this maps directly to "recoverable impact" in these operational criteria.
In other words: recoverable impact failing = the 4th health condition failing = the system cannot correct without collapse.
What it is not
Per EPOCH-II-001 (The Ontology of Fact):
- "Re-entry" is a necessary condition for something to count as a fact
- But "re-entry" does not equal truth, legitimacy, health, or fact at all scales
- Convergence diagnostics answer "is this convergence functioning normally", not "does this convergence outcome rise to the status of fact"
LEX·007 (criterion layer), LEX·002 (existence layer), and EPOCH-II-001 (epistemology layer) divide the labor three ways:
| Layer | Question |
|---|---|
| LEX·002 convergence-and-divergence | What is convergence? How does it relate to knowing? |
| LEX·007 (this entry) | Is this convergence mechanism functioning normally? |
| EPOCH-II-001 | Does this convergence count as a fact? |