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• is_a::[[Form Type]]
• has_status::[[Seed Stage]]
• in_domain::[[Deep Context Architecture]]
• in_precinct::[[Garden Precinct]]

Decision Form

Core question: “Why did we choose this over the alternatives?”

A recorded choice with its reasoning, alternatives considered, and consequences. Distinguished from a case (which narrates what happened) by being forward-looking at time of writing. Distinguished from a principle (which states a standing constraint) by being specific and contextual — a decision applies to a particular situation, while a principle applies broadly.

Structural Contract

Every decision form requires these sections in order:

• Context — Why this decision was needed. What problem or tension prompted it.
• Decision — What was chosen. State the choice clearly and directly.
• Consequences — What follows, both positive and negative.
• Alternatives Considered — What else was evaluated and why it was rejected.

Decisions carry a status field in frontmatter (proposed, accepted, deprecated, superseded). The supersedes:: predicate chains decisions when a choice is revisited. Each decision has a descriptive name, not a number.

Typical Predicates

• is_a::[\[\[Decision Form\]\]](Decision%20Form.html)
• has_status::[\[\[Seed Stage\]\]](Seed%20Stage.html) or [\[\[Growing Stage\]\]](Growing%20Stage.html)
• in_domain::[\[\[Deep Context Architecture\]\]](../domains/Deep%20Context%20Architecture.html)
• supersedes::[\[\[Previous Decision\]\]↑](../NODES.html#:~:text=Previous%20Decision) — chains revised decisions
• extended_by::[\[\[Follow-Up Decision\]\]↑](../NODES.html#:~:text=Follow-Up%20Decision) — marks refinements
• extracted_from::[\[\[Source Document\]\]↑](../NODES.html#:~:text=Source%20Document) — provenance
• informs::[\[\[Related Form\]\]↑](../NODES.html#:~:text=Related%20Form) — downstream effects

Exemplars

• [[Classification via Predicates Not Tags]]↑ — canonical example with clear context/decision/consequences/alternatives
• [[Artifact Predicate for Binary Metadata]]↑ — introduces a new predicate with rationale
• [[Extraction Model for Garden Migration]]↑ — reframes an entire approach (D6)

Category

Action form — captures what to do and what happened.

Sources

Definition from [[Deep Context as an Architecture for Captured Reasoning]], lines 90-95.

Relations

• relates_to::[[Boundary Form]] — boundaries constrain what decisions an agent can make
• relates_to::[[Principle Form]] — principles provide standing constraints; decisions apply them to specific situations
• relates_to::[[Pattern Form]] — patterns generalize from decisions; decisions instantiate patterns

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