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Patterns
Fiction Lab / PatternOpen question

The opponent whose intentions cannot be observed

Mechanism

The organisation gathers more signals while the source adapts what it shows to the observer.

Enabling conditions

  • Intent cannot be verified directly
  • Signals can be produced cheaply

Failure modes

  • Statements become proof of intent
  • One scenario consumes all options

Early signals

  • • Evidence comes mostly from the interested actor
  • • Commitments remain reversible only for one side

Countermeasures

  • • Maintain competing intent models
  • • Preserve reversible options

Diagnostic questions

  1. 1.What would make this signal costly?
  2. 2.Which actions remain useful across models?