A reference for when ideas are ready to move between maturity levels. Based on Christopher Alexander's principle: good design is about the relationships between patterns at different scales, not individual elements in isolation.
💡 Concepts (Seed → Growing → Mature)
The Promotion Readiness formula on the Concepts DB now tracks this automatically.
Seed → Growing (threshold: 3 connections)
A concept is ready to grow when it has at least three of the following:
- Connected to 1+ Related Thinkers (someone has thought seriously about this)
- Connected to 1+ Surprising Links (it resonates structurally with something from a different domain)
- Connected to 1+ Books (there's a literature behind it)
- Has a filled Description (you can articulate it in a sentence)
What "Growing" means: You've moved beyond naming the concept. You can explain it, connect it, and see where it shows up elsewhere.
Growing → Mature (threshold: 6 connections)
A concept is ready for maturity when it has at least six total connections across all four categories. This typically means:
- 2+ Thinkers (multiple perspectives on the same idea)
- 1+ Surprising Links (cross-domain resonance confirmed)
- 1+ Books (you've read deeply into it)
- A rich Description
- It appears in a Thread in the Threads DB
What "Mature" means: This concept is load-bearing — it supports essays, connects thinkers, and generates new seeds. It's part of your intellectual infrastructure.
💭 Articles in Think DB (Draft → Revisiting → Published)
Draft → Revisiting
- The article has a clear thesis (not just notes or summaries)
- It connects to at least 2 concepts in the Concepts DB
- It has identifiable thinkers who support or challenge the argument
- There is a seedbed piece that could serve as the essay's opening or emotional hook
Revisiting → Published
- The argument has a beginning, middle, and end (not just an accumulation of points)
- It engages at least one counter-argument (not a strawman)
- It connects to a Thread — it's not an island but part of a larger intellectual project
- Someone other than you would find it interesting (the so what test)
- You've let it sit for at least one week between the last major edit and marking it Published
🌱 Seeds in The Seedbed (Inbox → Processing → Filed)
Inbox → Processing
- The seed has a clear Destination (you know which part of your system it belongs to)
- It contains an actual idea, not just a reference or quote (those go to Collected Wisdom)
Processing → Filed
- The seed has been incorporated into its destination — a concept page, an article draft, a reflection, or Collected Wisdom
- The Filed To field records where it landed
- If the seed generated a new concept or new surprising link, those have been created
When to Discard
- The seed duplicates something already in the system
- On re-reading, it doesn't spark anything — no connection, no energy
- It was context-dependent and the context has passed
🤼 Thinker Profiles (Seed → Notes → Developed)
Seed → Notes
- The profile has at least one substantive quote or key idea (not just a bio blurb)
- The thinker is connected to at least 1 concept via the Concepts DB relation
Notes → Developed
- The profile includes key works with your notes or reactions
- The thinker connects to 2+ concepts
- You can articulate what this thinker means to your thinking — not just what they said, but why it matters to your project
- The thinker appears in a Thread
The Meta-Criterion (Alexander's "Quality Without a Name")
An idea is ready to promote when removing it would leave a visible gap in the system.
If a concept disappeared and nothing else would change — no thread would weaken, no article would lose a leg — it's not ready. If its absence would be felt, it's ready to move up.