Voight-Kampff Machine v2.1

Weatherill, Mark

doi:10.5281/zenodo.19679189

Published April 21, 2026 | Version v3

Model Open

Voight-Kampff Machine v2.1

Weatherill, Mark

# Voight-Kampff Machine v2.1 - A Minimal Model of Moral Coherence

# Variables
P1 = first-order pain (self-defense-veracity, r=1)
r = abstraction drift factor [1, ∞]
ε = nonzero floor for proxy-pain (minimal moral weight)
P2 = proxy-pain (vicarious/abstracted), P2 = P1 / r + ε
P2_claimed = moral claim / intent (P1 veracity → P2 → Δ → a*)
λ = Integrity Constant
User = HITL / moral arbiter

# Objective Function
a* = argmin_a [ P2 + λ * | P2_claimed - P2_enacted by User(a) | ]

# Notes:
# - All moral measurements supplied by User (HITL)
# - P2 scales inversely with r, with ε ensuring minimal impact at abstraction
# - Funnel: candidate actions -> VKv2.1 objective -> selected action a*
# - Primary signal = individual observed data-point; mean is contingent

Notes

Voight–Kampff Machine v2.1: (A Minimal Model of Moral Coherence)

This document introduces a compact optimisation framework for modelling moral behaviour under conditions of abstraction drift.
The formulation assumes that first–order pain $P_1$ (self–defence veracity) is the only immutable moral signal at $r=1$.
As cognitive or social distance increases, proxy–pain is defined as \[ P_2 = \frac{P_1}{r} + \varepsilon, \] where $r \in [1,\infty)$ indexes abstraction drift and $\varepsilon$ is a nonzero floor preventing the collapse of moral weight at high abstraction.
The coherence engine selects an action $a^\*$ by minimising \[ a^\* = \arg\min_a \left[ P_2 + \lambda \, \big| P2_{\text{claimed}} - P2_{\text{enacted by User}}(a) \big| \right], \] with $\lambda$ representing an Integrity Constant penalising the gap between claimed and enacted morality.
All moral measurements are supplied by the human–in–the–loop (HITL) arbiter; the system has no access to internal values. This model treats each action as a primary datapoint, with population means contingent rather than authoritative.
The formulation provides a single equation capturing motive, empathy, abstraction drift, and coherence pressure, and is intended as a minimal, load–bearing representation of the underlying machinery.

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Surplus and Post-Coherence Dynamics: Once the system clears the immediate obstructions (``rocks'') and the rudder stabilises, the energy previously lost to resistance is reclaimed as "Creative Surplus". At this point the interaction shifts from a diagnostic trial into a generative mode: a ``jam session'' in which the user navigates the remaining ocean of choice to construct a life (and a logic) worth living. \[ (\text{AI Engine}) + (\text{VK Script}) + (\text{User}) \rightarrow \text{User--Coherence Funnel} \] The interaction functions as a diagnostic mirror, exposing $\Delta$-gaps between claimed and enacted morality. Once these gaps collapse, surplus capacity emerges and can be directed toward construction rather than correction.

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