The Emergence Machine

sunk cost · path

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L15 review noun folk phrase open compare →

work already spent, which sets no wall and yet is treated as one

Sunk cost (noun) means: work already spent, which sets no wall and yet is treated as one. It emerges from work, loss, parameter, window: self-model treats spent work as a wall, though it sets none. In the EmergenceLexicon it sits at computed level 15, chaining down to the four foundations (space, time, energy, pattern).

sunk-cost.path · forms: sunk cost

ordinarily means: money or effort already spent that can't be recovered

Emergence

from: work loss parameter window wall model self-model
through: self-model treats spent work as a wall, though it sets none

Chain to foundations

windowL7 window.range: The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.partL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.controlL4 control.ability: A pattern that persists through time and sets boundaries for how others can change.spaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.putL3 put.placement: to move something into a placeoccursL2 occurs.event: a change that is at some place during timerangeL3 range.spatial: the space between two boundariesstructureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.differenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.pressL5 press.force: to move an object until it is in contact with a surfacewallL10 wall.range-end: The value of a parameter at which a window ends.interactionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.insideL5 inside.spatial: in the space that is within an object's boundarypersistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.eventL3 event.occurrence: a change that occurs in a place during a timesetsL3 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.energyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.changeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.getL5 get.acquisition: you make a thing come to youmatterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.actL3 act.deed: do somethingoutsideL6 outside.spatial: the space that is not inside a thing's boundaryworkL3 work.effort: a change that happens when energy moves something through spacesunk costL15 sunk-cost.path: work already spent, which sets no wall and yet is treated as onedistinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingparameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.lossL2 loss.economic: When a thing that was here is not here after, there is a difference.comeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.saysL8 says.speech: to make a message that other distinct entities getmodelL9 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.keepL5 keep.maintenance: to make something persist in a place or statemarksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.entitiesL4 entities.object: things that are each distinct from other thingsobjectL4 object.entity: A thing that has a boundary and an arrangement of parts that persists through time in a place.conditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placestateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placelikeL3 like.similarity: When a thing has the same pattern as another thing.boundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.forceL12 force.push: a press of matter that results in a change in motionmotionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.surfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.happenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.self-modelL14 self-model.reflexive: A model in a thing whose subject is the thing that holds the model.holdL13 hold.physical: keep thing with touch and force so it does not movesubjectL5 subject.entity: a thing that a change process is about in an eventothersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.timeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.contactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.messageL7 message.information: information that one entity puts into space for another entitymakeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.touchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.informationL6 information.knowledge: a pattern of marks that are differencesprocessL4 process.general: A set of changes that occur in something over time.arrangementL3 arrangement.spatial: a structure of parts in space.patternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.
full chain as text (193 steps)

Neighborhood

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

built fromsunk costL15sunk-cost.path — work already spent, which sets no wall and yet is treated as oneworkL3work.effort — a change that happens when energy moves something through spacelossL2loss.economic — When a thing that was here is not here after, there is a difference.parameterL4parameter.condition — A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.windowL7window.range — The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.wallL10wall.range-end — The value of a parameter at which a window ends.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.self-modelL14self-model.reflexive — A model in a thing whose subject is the thing that holds the model.

Provenance

author: phrases:qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b-2507 · date: 2026-07-29 · confidence: 0.7 · source: folk phrase — path dependence