01
HEIDEGGER: CANON
Install the methodology.
Apply the Subtractive Triad.
Build systems that disappear.
02
The Meta-Principle
Creation is the discipline of removing what obscures.
- Not addition — subtraction
- Not accumulation — revelation
- Not decoration — truth
The Subtractive Triad is one principle at three scales.
03
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ THE SUBTRACTIVE TRIAD │ │ One principle, three scales │ │ │ │ ┌────────────────┬────────────────┬────────────────┬────────────────┐ │ │ │ Level │ Discipline │ Question │ Action │ │ │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┤ │ │ │ Implementation │ DRY │ Built before? │ Unify │ │ │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┤ │ │ │ Artifact │ Rams │ Earns place? │ Remove │ │ │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┤ │ │ │ System │ Heidegger │ Serves whole? │ Reconnect │ │ │ └────────────────┴────────────────┴────────────────┴────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ For any decision, ask the three questions in order. │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
DRY unifies. Rams removes. Heidegger reconnects.
04
"Weniger, aber besser."— Dieter Rams
Less, but better.
05
"The less we just stare at the hammer-Thing, and the more we seize hold of it and use it, the more primordial does our relationship to it become."— Martin Heidegger, Being and Time
06
Level 1: DRY
"Have I built this before?" → Unify
The discipline of unifying.
- Auth logic in three services → One identity service
- Validation in five forms → One validation library
- Same API pattern everywhere → One SDK
Duplication creates drift. Unification creates truth.
07
Before: Duplication
// Service A
function validateEmail(email: string): boolean {
return /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(email);
}
// Service B
function isEmailValid(e: string): boolean {
return /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(e);
}
// Service C
const emailRegex = /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/;Three implementations. Three maintenance points. Three divergence risks.
08
Level 2: Rams
"Does this earn its existence?" → Remove
The discipline of removing.
- Not "Is this nice to have?"
- Not "Will someone use this?"
- Not "Can we build this?"
Only: Does it serve the essential purpose? If not, remove it.
09
Before
(15 settings)
- Enable notifications
- Enable email
- Enable push
- Enable SMS
- Notification sound
- Frequency
- Quiet hours start
- Quiet hours end
- Show badge
- Vibrate
- Theme
- Font size
- Reduce animations
- Language
- Timezone
After
(3 settings)
- Notify me: [Email + Push]
- Quiet hours: [10 PM – 7 AM]
- Theme: [Auto]
Smart defaults. Advanced → hidden.
10
Level 3: Heidegger
"Does this serve the whole?" → Reconnect
The discipline of reconnecting.
- Parts that don't compose → Duplication
- Features that don't integrate → Fragmentation
- Properties that don't connect → Silos
The system wants to be whole. Our job is removing what disconnects it.
11
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ ZUHANDENHEIT VORHANDENHEIT │ │ (Ready-to-hand) (Present-at-hand) │ │ │ │ Tools disappear into use Tools demand attention │ │ ───────────────────────── ───────────────────────── │ │ │ │ You think about: You think about: │ │ → The problem you're solving → OAuth tokens │ │ → The feature you're building → API pagination │ │ → The user you're serving → Error handling │ │ → The system you're creating → Rate limits │ │ │ │ Not about: The tool has broken. │ │ → The infrastructure It's become an object. │ │ → The configuration This is failure. │ │ → The deployment │ │ │ │ The tool should disappear. │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When infrastructure demands attention, it has failed.
12
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ THE HERMENEUTIC CIRCLE │ │ │ │ .ltd (Philosophy) │ │ │ │ │ provides criteria for │ │ ↓ │ │ .io (Research) │ │ │ │ │ validates │ │ ↓ │ │ .space (Practice) │ │ │ │ │ applies to │ │ ↓ │ │ .agency (Services) │ │ │ │ │ tests and evolves │ │ ↓ │ │ .ltd (Philosophy) │ │ │ │ Each property informs the next. The circle deepens understanding. │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Parts serve whole. Whole gives meaning to parts.
13
The Gestell Warning
"Automation that fills every gap is not efficiency but invasion."
- Technology that enables dwelling → Zuhandenheit
- Technology that demands attention → Vorhandenheit
- Technology that consumes → Gestell
Gelassenheit: Neither rejection nor submission.
Full engagement without capture.
The craftsman uses the hammer; the hammer does not use him.
14
Breakdown and Repair
When tools fail, they become visible.
- Fixing: Mechanical correction
- Restart the service. Clear the cache. Rollback.
- Repairing: Restructuring understanding
- Document why it failed. Update the patterns. Make implicit explicit.
Fixing restores function. Repairing prevents recurrence.
15
Applying the Triad
// 1. DRY: Have I built this before?
import { validateEmail } from '@create-something/validation';
// 2. Rams: Does this earn its existence?
interface CreateUserOptions {
email: string; // Essential
password: string; // Essential
// Removed: 12 optional params that can be set later
}
// 3. Heidegger: Does this serve the whole?
// → Uses identity service, not duplicating auth
// → Connects to notification service, not building its own
// → Follows patterns in CLAUDE.mdOne function. Three questions answered. The tool disappears.
16
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ INSTALLING THE METHODOLOGY │ │ What you do now │ │ │ │ ┌──────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ CLAUDE.md │ Philosophy baked into your AI partner │ │ │ ├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ .claude/rules/ │ Patterns that prevent recurrence │ │ │ ├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Canon tokens │ CSS values derived from principles │ │ │ ├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Beads │ Task tracking that persists across sessions │ │ │ ├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Skills │ /audit-canon, /deploy, /harness-spec │ │ │ └──────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ The infrastructure disappears. Only the work remains. │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Tools installed. Methodology internalized.
17
The Daily Practice
Before adding, ask:
- DRY — "Have I built this before?" → Unify
- Rams — "Does this earn its existence?" → Remove
- Heidegger — "Does this serve the whole?" → Reconnect
After breakdown, ask:
- Did I just fix, or did I repair?
- Is this pattern documented?
- Will the next person avoid this?
The discipline becomes automatic. The tools recede. Only the work remains.