Canonical decision operating system for rights-constrained, ripple-aware ethical governance
| Version | v9.0 |
| Status | Freeze-ready core canon line, with a synced document/workbook set and release manifest/hash package |
| License | CC BY-ND 4.0 (spec text) · MIT (code) · CC BY 4.0 (examples) |
| Canonical sites | ripplelogic.org · mathgov.org |
| Repository | github.com/MathGov/ripple-logic |
| Author | James McGaughran · ORCID: 0009-0005-3324-7290 |
RippleLogic is a general-purpose ethical operating system that evaluates decisions across nested stakeholder scopes while enforcing:
- Non-compensatory rights floors so rights violations cannot be traded away for aggregate benefit elsewhere
- Catastrophic tail-risk control using Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) over a governed scenario library rather than expected value
- Containment so local gains may not degrade the coherence of containing union scopes beyond governed tolerance
- Welfare ranking only among options that pass the admissibility gates, scored across a 7 × 7 welfare matrix of union scopes × welfare dimensions
- Structural diagnostics through Union Coherence Index (UCI) and Hollowing-Out Index (HOI) for long-run integrity monitoring and tie-breaking
It is designed for governance and public policy analysis, AI alignment and safety evaluation, institutional and organizational decision-making, and other high-stakes environments requiring auditable, rights-respecting reasoning under uncertainty.
Canonical naming: RippleLogic is the canonical release-line name. MathGov remains the historical umbrella term for the broader lineage and ecosystem.
Single source of truth: The Foundation Canon (RippleLogic_v9.0_Canon.docx) is the governing artifact for the v9.0 core release line. If any companion artifact conflicts with the Canon, the Canon governs.
Current release: v9.0
Release folder: releases/v9.0_2026-03-24
Release type: Freeze-ready core canon line
Core package: RippleLogic_v9.0_Core_Freeze_Package.zip
The v9.0 line contains five synced core artifacts:
RippleLogic_v9.0_Canon.docxSGP_4.3.docxripple_md_Standard_v2.0.docxRippleLogic_Agent_System_v9.0.docxRippleLogic_Aligners_Sheet_v2.3.xlsx
The release package also includes:
- SHA-256 checksums
- machine-readable release manifests
- release notes
- ProofPack release-integrity documentation
RippleLogic filters and ranks options in a fixed lexicographic order:
NCRC → TRC → Containment → RLS → UCI / HOI
- NCRC removes rights-violating options.
- TRC removes options with unacceptable catastrophic tail risk.
- Containment blocks local optimization that degrades containing scopes.
- RLS ranks the remaining selectable options by weighted welfare improvement.
- UCI / HOI provide structural diagnostics, tie-breaking support, and longitudinal monitoring.
Later-stage gains cannot compensate for earlier-stage failure.
Every decision is evaluated across 49 cells, formed by 7 union scopes × 7 welfare dimensions.
| Code | Scope |
|---|---|
| U1 | Self |
| U2 | Household |
| U3 | Community |
| U4 | Organization |
| U5 | Polity |
| U6 | Humanity / CMIU |
| U7 | Biosphere |
| Code | Dimension |
|---|---|
| D1 | Material |
| D2 | Health |
| D3 | Social |
| D4 | Knowledge |
| D5 | Agency |
| D6 | Meaning |
| D7 | Environment |
All normative computation is performed on the canonical [-1, +1] scale.
The Canon is the normative source of truth. The following companion artifacts extend or operationalize the v9.0 core line:
| Artifact | Version | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Sentience Gradient Protocol (SGP) | v4.3 | Sentience scoring and rights-of-protection interface consumed by RippleLogic |
| ripple.md Standard | v2.0 | Portable alignment contract and wrapper/interface standard |
| RippleLogic Agent System | v9.0 | Operational agent controls, evaluation harness expectations, stewardship, and deployment mode governance |
| RippleLogic Aligners Sheet | v2.3 | Worked-run and audit-ready workbook companion |
RippleLogic v9.0 is freeze-ready as the core synced document/workbook set.
This means the v9.0 release line now provides:
- a synced canonical document stack
- a calculable and publication-clean workbook companion
- release hashes and manifest surfaces suitable for GitHub and website publication
This does not mean the system is fully empirically validated or that Tier 4 replay claims are open.
- Core synced canon line: ready
- Tier 1–3 specification/use as a documented framework: claimable within the stated boundaries of the canon and companion documents
- Tier 4 independent replay claim: still prohibited until validator/schema surfaces and any optional executable companion assets are separately published and pinned
releases/
v7.4.5_2026-01-25/
v8.1_2026-02-14/
v8.5.3_2026-02-20/
v8.6_2026_03_15/
v9.0_2026-03-24/
examples/
ripplelogic-proofpack-lite/
README.md
RELEASE_HISTORY.md
VALIDATION_STATUS.md
RELEASE_MANIFEST.json
MathGov is the historical umbrella lineage from which RippleLogic emerged. RippleLogic is the canonical name of the formal release line and specification stack. MathGov remains a valid lineage, ecosystem, and narrative reference.
McGaughran, J. (2026). RippleLogic Framework v9.0 [Specification package]. MathGov Institute for Ethical Systems Design.
Canonical artifacts:
RippleLogic_v9.0_Canon.docxSGP_4.3.docxripple_md_Standard_v2.0.docxRippleLogic_Agent_System_v9.0.docxRippleLogic_Aligners_Sheet_v2.3.xlsx
Pin downstream references to the canonical filenames and SHA-256 values in the release manifest and checksum files.
RippleLogic uses a three-layer license structure:
- Specification text: CC BY-ND 4.0
- Reference implementations, schemas, code, templates, and test fixtures: MIT
- Worked examples, teaching materials, and translations: CC BY 4.0
See LICENSE for full terms.
James McGaughran
Creator and system architect of RippleLogic and the MathGov lineage.
ORCID: 0009-0005-3324-7290
RippleLogic v9.0 · ripplelogic.org · mathgov.org
github.com/MathGov/ripple-logic