AIM Framework glossary
Mimetic Premium Asymmetry Principle
Canonical definition
For any M-contaminated essential good, Individuals with higher purchasing power extract greater Net Mimetic Position from equivalent transactions. This asymmetry compounds over time through PM(interest), producing stratification acceleration independent of the observability gradient.
Explanation
The Mimetic Premium Asymmetry Principle captures why M-contaminated essential goods reconstitute stratification even when nominal access is equalised. Consider two Individuals purchasing identical houses. Both pay the same price, both gain the same PM(ownership) signal, both satisfy the same A-need. Yet their trajectories diverge: the cash buyer retains the full signal value while the mortgage buyer funds that signal through decades of PM(interest) extraction. The mortgage buyer's NMP is negative (they pay more for the status signal than the signal is worth. The cash buyer's NMP is positive) they gain signal while retaining wealth. Over time, positive NMP compounds into further acquisition capacity while negative NMP drains future common currency. The asymmetry operates silently: both buyers experience themselves as "homeowners" gaining equivalent status, while the extraction differential accumulates invisibly until retirement, inheritance, or crisis reveals the divergence. Derivation: 1. PM(ownership) and PM(visible) are approximately constant for identical Objects. 2. PM(interest) varies from zero (cash purchase) to multiples of purchase price (high-LVR, long-term financing). 3. PM(portfolio) accrues to those whose purchase adds to an existing asset base. 4. Therefore: NMP(wealthy) \> NMP(middle-wealth) \> NMP(low-wealth) for the same Object. 5. Over time, positive NMP enables further asset acquisition (compounding gains), while negative NMP consumes future common currency (compounding extraction). 6. The asymmetry reconstitutes stratification even from equal starting positions. Housing PM Decomposition (Illustrative Calculation) House purchase price: \$800,000 | Component | Cash Buyer (with portfolio) | First-Home Buyer (80% LVR, 30yr @ 6%) | |----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------------------------------| | P(A) (shelter, construction, land) | \$250,000 | \$250,000 | | P(I) (home office, workshop) | \$50,000 | \$50,000 | | PM(visible) (location, size beyond adequacy) | \$200,000 | \$200,000 | | PM(ownership) signal gained | +\$300,000 | +\$300,000 | | PM(portfolio) signal gained | +\$150,000 | \$0 | | PM(interest) extracted | \$0 | \$926,560 | | Net Mimetic Position | +\$150,000 | −\$626,560 | | Total cost over term | \$800,000 | \$1,726,560 |
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Principle.