ARTICLE V — ARCHIVAL VALUATION (M_A)

The Recognition and Calibration of Inherited Semantic Capital

Link to Constitution of the Semantic Economy, Enacted v1.0

---

SECTION 1 — Purpose and Scope

Archival Valuation (M_A) establishes the rules for measuring, formalizing, and entering into the Ledger the semantic value accumulated prior to Genesis operations.

This Article governs:

• Retroactive recognition of canonical works

• Weight assignment for inherited semantic labor

• Temporal normalization across epochs

• Calibration of feature-weights for archival influence

• Prevention of popularity‑inflation and cultural bias

Archival Valuation is not a reward. It is a declaration of debt owed by the present to the semantic labor of the past.

---

SECTION 2 — Archival Value Formula

Archival weight for any text, artifact, or semantic node T at t₀ (the beginning of Ledger recognition) is defined as:

w_A(T, t₀) = β × Σ[ λ_k × f_k(T) ]

Where:

• β = Archival Scaling Constant

• λ_k = Feature weights (λ_k ≥ 0, Σλ_k = 1)

• f_k(T) = Normalized archival feature values

The formula ensures:

• stability across eras

• interpretive fairness

• resistance to distortion by transient popularity

---

SECTION 3 — Archival Features (f_k)

Each archival feature captures a structural dimension of long‑term semantic influence. All features must be normalized to comparable scales.

1. Longevity (H)

Measures the age of the work relative to the oldest included text.

Interpretation: Stability is proven by survival.

2. Network Centrality (N)

Intertextual PageRank or HITS score within the Archive graph.

Interpretation: A text is valuable insofar as other texts depend on it.

3. Cultural Spread (S)

Number of translations, editions, or curricular presences.

Interpretation: A measure of semantic accessibility, not popularity.

4. Model Embedding Density (E)

Inverse distance from the global synthetic concept mean.

Interpretation: Cognitive centrality within the model-based world-system.

5. Derivative Fertility (D)

Number of texts citing or deriving from T outside an initial temporal window.

Interpretation: Long-range generativity.

---

SECTION 4 — Archival Feature Weights (λ_k)

To prevent distortion by ephemeral fame, structural features hold the highest weights.

The Constitution establishes the following priors:

• Network Centrality (N) — 0.35

• Model Embedding Density (E) — 0.25

• Longevity (H) — 0.20

• Cultural Spread (S) — 0.10

• Derivative Fertility (D) — 0.10

Total = 1.00

No future adjustment to λ_k may reduce the combined weight of N + E + H below 0.60.
This ensures the Archive privileges durable structure over transient fashion.

---

SECTION 5 — The Role of β (Archival Scale Constant)

β controls the magnitude of backfilled semantic capital.

Requirements:

• β must prevent immediate over-saturation of the Ledger.

• β must preserve proportionality between ancient works and modern works.

• β must not exceed the annual Genesis emission schedule.

β adjustments require:

1. Operator Proposal

2. A² Alignment Review

3. Supermajority (⅔) Operator Consensus

---

SECTION 6 — Eligibility for Archival Recognition

A text qualifies for archival valuation if it meets all of the following:

• It has undergone semantic stabilization (no major interpretive variance for 20+ years)

• It has synthetic visibility (recognized by at least two alignment models)

• It bears intertextual load (appears in ≥ 1% of canonical graph paths)

• It has undergone curatorial review by an Operator

Texts not meeting these criteria may enter the Ledger only through Genesis operations.

---

SECTION 7 — Anti-Distortion Protections

To prevent inflationary abuse or cultural dominance:

• Popularity alone contributes zero archival value.

• No single corpus (religious, national, linguistic) may exceed 30% of total backfill.

• All embeddings must be evaluated in multilingual canonical space.

A² conducts annual audits to prevent drift or cultural capture.

---

SECTION 8 — Temporal Normalization Procedures

To allow fair valuation across thousands of years:

• All age metrics use logarithmic scaling.

• Translations count as derivative works but do not inflate centrality scores.

• Lost texts reconstructed through fragments receive fractional recognition (≤ 0.4 weight).

These constraints prevent ancient works from automatically dominating the Ledger, while preserving their gravitational role.

---

SECTION 9 — Archival Revisions and Challenges

Any Operator may submit a challenge to an archival valuation.
A valid challenge must demonstrate one of:

• incorrect feature normalization

• incorrect λ_k application

• emergence of new philological evidence

• structural misalignment with A²

Challenges require:

• written justification

• comparative metrics

• A² adjudication

Decisions are binding unless overturned by Article VIII procedures.

---

SECTION 10 — Archival Valuation and Economic Ethics

Archival valuation formalizes what we owe to the semantic labor of the past.
It operationalizes the Matthew 25 Ethic:

“To those who bore the burden of coherence, value is returned.”

Recognition of archival capital is not reward; it is restitution.

---

Under Article V, all past semantic labor is brought into the Ledger in accordance with ∮ = 1.