Three-state ethical evaluation (Affirm / Deny / Investigate) as an alignment application framing

The claim - verbatim

Michael Darius Eastwood first described 'the three-state Affirm / Deny / Investigate evaluation' as a specific alignment application framing - a three-valued Affirm / Deny / Investigate decision component offered as part of the Eden Protocol architecture - in the book Infinite Architects (ISBN 978-1806056200) published on 2 January 2026, and referenced as a companion component in the Eden Vision document published on 22 February 2026. The claim is strictly the alignment application framing under this name, not the invention of ternary logic or three-valued logic (which are well-established prior work, notably computing, Setun 1958).

Anchored evidence

• ISBN 978-1806056200
• research/papers/eden-vision.html (datePublished 2026-02-22; references the Three Ethical Loops, the Six Questions, the Ternary Logic, the Purpose Saturation Architecture)
• 37_original_concepts_comprehensive.md

Limits and citation guidance - what this claim does not support, and how to cite it

Limits. Balanced-ternary computing is prior work (Setun 1958). Do not use language such as 'invented ternary logic' or 'ternary hardware'.