Failure, Degradation, Non-Recovery
Definition
Failure, degradation, and non-recovery are valid states within ESGR-aligned systems—not errors to be hidden or corrected.
Failure Is a Valid State
ESGR systems must allow:
- Recovery failure
- Temporary non-recoverability
- Degradation without explanation
Systems that cannot represent failure are not scientific.
A system that always shows improvement, always provides output, or always suggests action is not aligned with ESGR principles.
Why Refusal Is Responsible
When conditions are insufficient, an ESGR-aligned system must:
- Withhold interpretation
- Avoid intervention
- Explicitly state uncertainty
Refusal protects both user and system integrity.
Degradation Logic
When data quality or confidence decreases, the system must:
- Reduce evaluation depth
- Narrow interpretation scope
- Limit available actions
- Potentially output nothing at all
Full degradation to silence is permitted and sometimes required.
Non-Recovery as a State
Non-recovery is not:
- A bug
- A failure of the system
- Something to be optimized away
Non-recovery simply means:
The system cannot currently return to a usable state.
This must be representable, communicable, and acceptable.
What This Means in Practice
- A system may output: "Insufficient data for evaluation"
- A system may output: "Recovery capacity is currently absent"
- A system may output: "No action recommended"
- A system may output nothing at all
All of these are valid, responsible behaviors.
Responsibilities
ESGR-aligned systems are responsible for:
- Accurately representing failure states
- Degrading gracefully under uncertainty
- Refusing output when conditions do not permit
ESGR-aligned systems are not responsible for:
- Always providing an answer
- Always showing progress
- Hiding uncertainty from users
Compliance Note
A system that cannot represent failure, refuses to degrade, or always produces output regardless of conditions violates ESGR Foundations.