Definition
The Confucian concept of structured, embodied practice through which relationships are cultivated. In the
context of the "Cathedral vs. Bazaar" problem, li is the missing link. The Bazaar (individual
experimentation) produces ephemeral breakthroughs; the Cathedral (institutional wisdom) requires li
to stabilize and transmit those breakthroughs as mastery.
The Structure of Excellence
Silicon Valley culture hates "ritual," viewing it as dead formality. But without ritual—without the
discipline of the "Ritual Opening" or the structure of iterative refinement—mastery remains accidental
and non-transferable.
Field Notes & Ephemera
Field Note: A prompt is not a spell; it is a posture. You must stand in the right
relation to the machine for the machine to respond.