AIM Framework glossary
Low-Pass Filter Mechanism
Canonical definition
The mechanism by which the Aggregation Gradient operates: aggregation across many Individuals and many transactions averages the bounded source contributions (A and I) toward stable substrate values, while the unbounded source contribution (M) compounds and produces the divergent signal that aggregation cannot suppress. Bounded sources function as the "high-frequency" components of the integrated valuation, they fluctuate, they cycle, and they average out to roughly stable mean contributions across populations and time. The unbounded source functions as the "low-frequency" component: it does not cycle, it accumulates, and aggregation across populations and time enhances its visibility by stripping away the bounded fluctuations that mask it at the dyadic scale. The same eliminative logic that drives the Two-Question Diagnostic at the individual scale (ruling out A and I to identify M) drives the Macro-Residue Visibility Principle at the population scale through this filtering mechanism.
Explanation
Imagine listening to a noisy room. Most of the noise is short-lived, comes and goes, and averages to a hum. But underneath the hum there is a slow, steady drone that never stops. If you listen carefully to one moment, all you hear is noise. If you record the room for a long time and average everything together, the short-lived noises cancel each other out, and what is left is the drone. Aggregation does this for motivation. A and I are the short-lived noises; they satisfy and cycle. M is the drone; it never satisfies, and aggregation makes it audible.
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Construct. Derived at Chapter 9, Section 9.10, where the mechanism carries this name.
Derivation
Related terms
- Aggregation Gradient
- Boundedness Asymmetry Principle
- Mimetic Premium (PM)
- Two-Question Diagnostic
- Macro-Residue Visibility Principle
- Satiation (A)