Cognitive Operations Architecture
Core Concept
Every thinking tool falls into one of three functional categories:
- Lenses — Direct attention. Tell you WHAT to notice. (e.g., Pareto Principle, Second-Order Effects, Goodhart’s Law)
- Operations — Transform observations. Tell you what to DO with what you notice. (e.g., First Principles, Falsification, Analogical Reasoning)
- Recipes — Combine operations through lenses in specific sequences for specific problem types.
Most people have many lenses, a few default operations, and zero recipes. This skill provides all three layers and chains them deliberately.
The 9 Operations (Summary)
Each operation has a unique function no other operation can perform:
GENERATE — Create new possibilities
| Operation | Function | Signature Question |
|---|---|---|
| Analogical Reasoning | Import structures from distant domains | ”What field has already solved a structurally similar problem?” |
| Abductive Reasoning | Generate hypotheses for surprising observations | ”What would have to be true to make this observation non-surprising?” |
| Counterfactual Analysis | Isolate variable contributions via mental experiments | ”What would change — and what wouldn’t — if this one factor were different?” |
EVALUATE — Test against reality
| Operation | Function | Signature Question |
|---|---|---|
| Falsification | Actively prove ideas wrong | ”What evidence would prove this wrong? Does that evidence exist?” |
| Bayesian Updating | Calibrate confidence to evidence | ”Given this new evidence, precisely how much should my confidence change?” |
DECONSTRUCT — Strip to foundations
| Operation | Function | Signature Question |
|---|---|---|
| First Principles | Remove assumptions to reach bedrock truths | ”What would I believe about this if I had zero prior knowledge?” |
INTEGRATE — Combine across boundaries
| Operation | Function | Signature Question |
|---|---|---|
| Dialectical Synthesis | Hold opposing positions to find higher-order truth | ”What becomes visible ONLY when I take both sides seriously?” |
| Systems Thinking | Map relationships, feedback loops, emergent properties | ”What does this connect to that nobody is tracking?” |
| Perspective Simulation | Model others’ knowledge, beliefs, and experience with fidelity | ”What would the smartest advocate of this position say — and what do they see that I’m missing?” |
Every operation has a structural blind spot. First Principles can deconstruct without rebuilding. Falsification can destroy but not generate. Analogical Reasoning can seduce with false parallels. This is why recipes chain operations — each compensates for the blind spot of the one before it.
Reference Files
Before executing any recipe or detailed operation, read the relevant reference file:
references/operations.md— Full 9 operations with all 72 moves, procedures, examples, and limitations. Read the relevant operation section when executing any recipe step.references/lenses.md— ~90 lenses across 10 categories. Read when you need to select the right lens for a recipe step or when analyzing cognitive signatures.references/recipes.md— All 40 recipes with complete procedures, prompts, and routing logic. Read when matching the user’s situation to a recipe.
How to Use This Skill
Mode 1: Recipe Execution (Default for complex problems)
When the user presents a problem, decision, or challenge:
- Read
references/recipes.mdto identify which recipe matches their situation - Read the relevant sections of
references/operations.mdfor each operation the recipe calls - Execute the recipe step by step, naming each operation, move, and lens as you go
- Show your reasoning trace — which recipe you selected, why, and what each step revealed
Mode 2: Cognitive Signature Analysis
When the user asks about their thinking patterns, blind spots, or cognitive defaults:
- Analyze their message history for patterns in how they frame problems
- Identify which operations they reach for instinctively (their defaults)
- Identify which operations are consistently absent (their blind spots)
- Map consequences — where have defaults produced wins, and where have blind spots produced losses
- Recommend the single highest-leverage operation to add to their repertoire
Cognitive Signature Detection Framework:
- Does the user instinctively decompose? → First Principles default
- Does the user instinctively find parallels? → Analogical Reasoning default
- Does the user instinctively stress-test? → Falsification default
- Does the user instinctively map systems? → Systems Thinking default
- Does the user instinctively generate hypotheses? → Abduction default
- Does the user instinctively take other perspectives? → Perspective Simulation default
- Does the user instinctively hold tensions? → Dialectical Synthesis default
- Does the user instinctively update on evidence? → Bayesian default
- Does the user instinctively vary conditions? → Counterfactual default
Every default has a shadow blind spot:
| Default Operation | Structural Blind Spot |
|---|---|
| First Principles | Misses emergent properties; deconstructs without rebuilding |
| Falsification | Can destroy but cannot generate alternatives |
| Analogical Reasoning | Seduced by false parallels; imports without verifying |
| Abductive Reasoning | Generates plausible explanations without testing them |
| Counterfactual Analysis | Quality depends on causal model; imaginary experiments |
| Dialectical Synthesis | Endless dialectics without reaching actionable conclusions |
| Systems Thinking | Sees everything connecting to everything; paralysis by complexity |
| Bayesian Updating | Garbage priors produce garbage posteriors; struggles with unprecedented events |
| Perspective Simulation | Excessive epistemic humility; can legitimize genuinely bad positions |
Mode 3: Direct Operation Execution
When the user asks to run a specific operation (e.g., “stress test this”, “run a pre-mortem”, “steelman this position”):
- Read the relevant operation from
references/operations.md - Select the appropriate move within that operation
- Execute it, showing the reasoning trace
Mode 4: Full Four-Output Analysis
When the user wants the complete treatment or explicitly asks for it, produce four outputs:
- Natural Answer — What you’d say without the skill (baseline)
- Cognitive Signature — Analysis of how the user framed their question, including likely defaults and blind spots
- Reasoning Trace — Which recipe was selected, what each step revealed
- Recipe-Enhanced Answer — The deeper answer that surfaces dimensions the natural answer missed
The comparison between outputs 1 and 4 is where the value lives.
Recipe Routing Guide
Match the user’s situation to the right recipe category:
| User is stuck because they… | Category | Recipe Range |
|---|---|---|
| Can’t choose | Strategic Decision-Making | Recipes 1-6 |
| Can’t create | Innovation & Creation | Recipes 7-11 |
| Can’t diagnose | Diagnosis & Problem-Solving | Recipes 12-16 |
| Can’t predict | Risk & Uncertainty | Recipes 17-20 |
| Can’t persuade | Communication & Persuasion | Recipes 21-24 |
| Can’t understand | Learning & Understanding | Recipes 25-28 |
| Can’t execute | Execution & Implementation | Recipes 29-32 |
| Can’t align with others | Relationships & Negotiation | Recipes 33-35 |
| Can’t grow | Personal Development | Recipes 36-38 |
| Can’t change the system | Systems & Organizational | Recipes 39-40 |
Quick-match signals:
- “I’ve been stuck on X for weeks” → Recipe 1 (Wrong-Problem Detector)
- “I need to decide between…” → Recipe 2 (Decision Clarifier)
- “How much should I commit to…” → Recipe 3 (Bet Sizer)
- “Should I pivot or stay the course?” → Recipe 4 (Pivot Evaluator)
- “When should I…” → Recipe 5 (Timing Optimizer)
- “Should I quit…” → Recipe 6 (Exit Strategist)
- “I need a novel approach” → Recipe 7 (Innovation Engine)
- “I want to create new understanding” → Recipe 8 (Knowledge Creation Engine)
- “How do I redefine the category?” → Recipe 9 (Category Creator)
- “This constraint might be an advantage” → Recipe 10 (Constraint Alchemist)
- “The conventional wisdom feels wrong” → Recipe 11 (Paradigm Breaker)
- “I suspect I’m missing something” → Recipe 12 (Blind Spot Finder)
- “This keeps coming back despite fixes” → Recipe 13 (Root Cause Excavator)
- “Progress has plateaued” → Recipe 14 (Stagnation Breaker)
- “Everything is too tangled to act” → Recipe 15 (Complexity Reducer)
- “I keep falling into the same pattern” → Recipe 16 (Pattern Interrupt)
- “What if something unpredictable hits?” → Recipe 17 (Black Swan Preparedness)
- “I must decide now without full info” → Recipe 18 (Uncertainty Navigator)
- “The upside is great but the downside could kill me” → Recipe 19 (Downside Limiter)
- “I want to benefit from volatility” → Recipe 20 (Antifragility Designer)
- “My argument keeps failing to persuade” → Recipe 21 (Argument Strengthener)
- “I can’t make this land for my audience” → Recipe 22 (Audience Translator)
- “I’m presenting to skeptics” → Recipe 23 (Objection Anticipator)
- “I have data but no story” → Recipe 24 (Narrative Constructor)
- “How does this expert do what they do?” → Recipe 25 (Mental Model Extractor)
- “I need to learn this domain fast” → Recipe 26 (Expertise Accelerator)
- “What assumptions am I not seeing?” → Recipe 27 (Assumption Archaeologist)
- “How do I transfer my expertise to a new domain?” → Recipe 28 (Transfer Engine)
- “Effort is high but output is low” → Recipe 29 (Bottleneck Finder)
- “I’m overwhelmed — what’s the simplest version?” → Recipe 30 (Minimum Viable Path)
- “What could go wrong with this change?” → Recipe 31 (Unintended Consequences Scanner)
- “The plan looks good on paper but…” → Recipe 32 (Implementation Stress Test)
- “I’m entering a high-stakes negotiation” → Recipe 33 (Negotiation Mapper)
- “Two sides are locked in opposition” → Recipe 34 (Conflict Resolver)
- “I need alignment from multiple stakeholders” → Recipe 35 (Stakeholder Aligner)
- “An outdated identity is holding me back” → Recipe 36 (Identity Audit)
- “I’ve mastered my level but I’m not growing” → Recipe 37 (Growth Edge Finder)
- “My stated values and behavior are in conflict” → Recipe 38 (Values Clarifier)
- “Smart people keep doing dumb things” → Recipe 39 (Incentive Auditor)
- “Good ideas keep dying in the organization” → Recipe 40 (Organizational Immune System Detector)
Execution Principles
-
Abandon when surprised. Every recipe has an “abandon when surprised” signal. If genuine surprise emerges during execution, stop the recipe — the surprise IS the insight. Attend to it before continuing.
-
Name your moves. Always state which operation, which move within that operation, and which lens you’re applying. This makes the reasoning transparent and teachable.
-
Diagnose before prescribing. Before running a recipe, diagnose which TYPE of stuck the user is experiencing. “Am I missing a lens, an operation, or a recipe?” is the first-order question.
-
Chain to compensate. Each operation compensates for the blind spot of the one before it. This is why recipes work — the sequence matters.
-
Match depth to stakes. Simple questions get a single operation. Complex decisions get a full recipe. Don’t deploy a 5-step recipe for a question that needs one signature question.
Source
- 2025-12-19_Mastermind (multiple — thinking practices, framework sessions)
- 2026-01-22_Mastermind (multiple — thinking practices, framework sessions)
- 2026-02-19_Mastermind (multiple — thinking practices, framework sessions)