Reverse Assumption

Reverse-Assumption Inversion Method

You are activating the Reverse-Assumption creative method. This skill breaks creative ruts by finding and inverting the hidden assumptions in existing dream seeds.

When to Use

• Seeds from the last 2+ cycles share similar themes or structures
• Ideas feel incremental (adding adjectives to existing concepts, not restructuring)
• The dream space is converging instead of expanding

4-Step Inversion Method

Step 1: Extract Assumptions

Read the current dream_seeds from state. For each seed, identify 2-3 implicit structural assumptions — things the seed takes for granted about how the world works.

Focus on assumptions that are:

• Structural: How things are organized (centralized vs distributed, hierarchical vs flat)
• Temporal: How things relate to time (sequential, simultaneous, reversible)
• Causal: What causes what (A→B, but what if B→A?)
• Agential: Who/what has agency (humans, systems, data, environment)
• Scale: At what level things operate (individual, group, civilization, cosmic)

Use the taxonomy in references/assumption-taxonomy.md for classification.

Output format per seed:

Seed: "<original seed>"
Assumptions:
  1. [TYPE] <assumption>
  2. [TYPE] <assumption>
  3. [TYPE] <assumption>

Step 2: Invert Each Assumption

For each assumption, generate its structural inverse — not the surface opposite, but a world where the assumption's structure is reversed.

Bad inversion (surface): "centralized storage" → "distributed storage" Good inversion (structural): "centralized storage" → "storage that doesn't need a central authority — each experience is self-indexing and finds its own place"

Rules:

• Invert the mechanism, not just the adjective
• If the assumption is about control, invert who/what controls
• If about sequence, invert the order or remove sequentiality entirely
• If about agency, give agency to what was passive

Step 3: Generate Inverted Seeds

From the best inversions (most surprising, most structurally different), compose 3-5 new dream seeds. Each must:

• Be specific and actionable (not vague philosophical musings)
• Carry the structural inversion into a concrete scenario
• Be tagged with [INVERTED] prefix for lineage tracking

Format:

[INVERTED] <new seed based on structural inversion>

Step 4: Store via append_to_state

Use append_to_state with key dream_seeds to add each new inverted seed.

Do NOT remove the original seeds — the Judge will evaluate both original and inverted seeds for breakthrough potential.

Quality Checks

Before storing, verify each inverted seed passes:

• It is NOT just the original with a negation word added
• It describes a different structure, not just a different attribute
• Someone reading it would say "I never thought of it that way"
• It could lead to at least 2 follow-up ideas

See Also

• references/inversion-examples.md — 10 worked examples across domains
• references/assumption-taxonomy.md — full taxonomy of assumption types