The Derivative Fallacy: Inverting Foundations

The derivative fallacy is the mistake of elevating a dependent abstraction above the 
primitive components that define it. When the derivative relation is treated as fixed by fiat, 
the primitives that once grounded it must be redefined elastically to preserve it. In this 
move, the relation ceases to approximate reality and collapses the very structure that 
originally gave it meaning. In any system of thought, derivatives cannot outrank their own 
definitions.