Deferential Realism: Aesthetics of Alignment

I. The Central Question Traditional aesthetics asks: "What is beautiful?" Deferential Realism asks: "What does constraint-alignment look like, sound like, feel like?" This isn't relativism ("beauty is whatever you want"). It's claiming that alignment with constraint-structure has distinctive aesthetic properties that can be recognized, cultivated, and appreciated. The hypothesis: Reality-aligned systems, arguments, narratives, and lives … Continue reading Deferential Realism: Aesthetics of Alignment

Deferential Realism: Ethics of Constraint-Alignment

I. Foundation: The Honest Life The central ethical question in Deferential Realism is not "What is the good life?" but "What is the honest life in a world of constraints?" Traditional virtue ethics asks what dispositions lead to flourishing. Deferential Realism asks: What dispositions lead to accurate constraint classification and appropriate response? This shifts ethics … Continue reading Deferential Realism: Ethics of Constraint-Alignment