The Emergence Machine

sandbagging · understated

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L14 published noun folk phrase closed compare →

Showing others a reach narrower than the one it holds, so that their model of it sets no walls against what it can later do.

Sandbagging (noun) means: Showing others a reach narrower than the one it holds, so that their model of it sets no walls against what it can later do. It emerges from reach, show, others, narrow: The thing keeps others' model of its reach below the real one on purpose; walls others would have set against a known reach are never built, and the gap is spent in one move later. In the EmergenceLexicon it sits at computed level 14, chaining down to the four foundations (space, time, energy, pattern).

sandbagging.understated · forms: sandbag, sandbagged, sandbagging

ordinarily means: deliberately underperforming to hide one's real ability

Examples

Emergence

from: reach show others narrow model set wall later hold against
through: The thing keeps others' model of its reach below the real one on purpose; walls others would have set against a known reach are never built, and the gap is spent in one move later.

Chain to foundations

changeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.outsideL6 outside.spatial: the space that is not inside a thing's boundaryforceL12 force.push: a press of matter that results in a change in motionbroughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.motionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.matterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.rangeL3 range.spatial: the space between two boundariespartL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.makeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.putL3 put.placement: to move something into a placekeepL5 keep.maintenance: to make something persist in a place or stateagainstL13 against.opposition: a thing that is different from another and does not go toward itcrossL4 cross.pass: To go through a boundary from one place to another.driftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.parameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.objectL4 object.entity: A thing that has a boundary and an arrangement of parts that persists through time in a place.futureL4 future.temporal: the part of time that is after nowamountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numbercarryingL5 carrying.transporting: To move with a thing that is in one place and then is in another, where the thing remains in contact.nothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingmodelL9 model.representation: A pattern in one thing that is like another thing, so that acting on the pattern can say what the other thing will do.arrangementL3 arrangement.spatial: a structure of parts in space.connectsL7 connects.verb: When two things are brought together so that a flow between them can happen and persist.currentL1 current.present: Of the time that is now.holdL13 hold.physical: keep thing with touch and force so it does not movelikeL3 like.similarity: When a thing has the same pattern as another thing.reachL13 reach.action: Each window a thing can enter, and each wall it can set, by its own action.laterL5 later.temporal: after nowactL3 act.deed: do somethingpoint of no returnL9 point-of-no-return.irreversible: A wall in a parameter's window, beyond which the thing cannot persist even though its parts do.wallL8 wall.range-end: The value of a parameter at which a window ends.entitiesL4 entities.object: things that are each distinct from other thingsboundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.energyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.distinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingactionL4 action.deed: A change that is done by a thing.wayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spacesizeL2 size.measurement: the space that a thing's matter is inconditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placesandbaggingL14 sandbagging.understated: Showing others a reach narrower than the one it holds, so that their model of it sets no walls against what it can later do.interactionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.structureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.setL9 set.fix: To make a wall or the value of a parameter stay in one place.saysL8 says.speech: to make a message that other distinct entities getflowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.spaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.contactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.seeL6 see.visual: change when matter interacts with marks visible in space extenthappenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.getL5 get.acquisition: you make a thing come to youlinksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingspointsL2 points.location: a part that is at a placesurfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.narrowL5 narrow.spatial: Having a small range between boundaries.quantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spacetimeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.pressL5 press.force: to move an object until it is in contact with a surfaceworkL3 work.effort: a change that happens when energy moves something through spacepersistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.closeL5 close.spatial: having little space between two thingsoffL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is theresetsL3 sets.grouped: A pattern of many things that are each different from the others but are bounded together by what is the same about them.differenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.touchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.possibleL3 possible.potential: that can happenpatternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.valueL7 value.magnitude: The number a parameter has at a time.othersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.reachL10 reach.spatial: to go to pointsmallL4 small.size: a thing that is less extent than most other thingsbigL2 big.size: Having much space; more space than another thing has.extentL3 extent.spatial: how much space matter hasnoneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thinglineL10 line.geometric: a set of points with regular arrangement in spacemessageL7 message.information: information that one entity puts into space for another entitygoL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another placecomeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.regularL1 regular.frequency: a thing that is the same pattern again over timemarksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.littleL4 little.size: has less space extent than most othersdirectionL11 direction.spatial: a line that a thing points to as it goesstateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placenumberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in a placeinsideL5 inside.spatial: in the space that is within an object's boundaryshowL7 show.visual: to make something be seenwindowL7 window.range: The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.informationL6 information.knowledge: a pattern of marks that are differencespossibilityL12 possibility.potential: A window that can be reached from the current window without crossing a wall that is closed.enterL3 enter.spatial: to move into a place
full chain as text (312 steps)

Neighborhood

Concepts that depend on this one above; what it is built from below.

built from — 2 more not shownsandbaggingL14sandbagging.understated — Showing others a reach narrower than the one it holds, so that their model of it sets no walls against what it can laterreachL13reach.action — Each window a thing can enter, and each wall it can set, by its own action.showL7show.visual — to make something be seenothersL2others.distinct-entities — Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.narrowL5narrow.spatial — Having a small range between boundaries.modelL9model.representation — A pattern in one thing that is like another thing, so that acting on the pattern can say what the other thing will do.setL9set.fix — To make a wall or the value of a parameter stay in one place.wallL8wall.range-end — The value of a parameter at which a window ends.laterL5later.temporal — after now

Relations

contrasts-withpaper-tiger.untestedOTHERS-READ under (chosen) vs over
contrasts-withpersona.outwarda persona is a self-model made to be read; sandbagging makes the reading smaller than the reach

Provenance

author: claude-opus-5-5:hand-curated · date: 2026-09-28 · confidence: 0.85 · source: schema/power-agency-phase.md