AIM Framework glossary
Replacement Requirement (RR)
Canonical definition
The Replacement Requirement (RR) is the principle that critiques of a general theory must take one of three forms to constitute valid grounds for rejection: (1) identify a specific false prediction the theory generates, (2) demonstrate internal inconsistency within the theory's axioms or derivations, or (3) provide an alternative theory with equal or greater scope and precision, such that critiques which fail all three conditions are incomplete objections regardless of their rhetorical force.
Explanation
RR is not a shield against criticism, it is a quality filter on criticism. A general theory that generates predictions across multiple domains invites objections from specialists in each domain, and many such objections take the form "this seems wrong" or "our field doesn't think this way" without identifying a false prediction, an inconsistency, or a better theory. RR does not dismiss these responses; it asks them to complete themselves. If AIM predicts that housing markets exhibit a five-stage bubble structure and a housing economist objects, the objection must point to a specific prediction that fails (falsification), a step in the derivation that contradicts another AIM axiom (inconsistency), or an alternative framework that accounts for the same phenomena with equal or greater precision (replacement). "This is not how housing economists think about bubbles" fails all three conditions and is therefore an incomplete objection, potentially the beginning of a valid critique, but not yet one. See Completeness Criterion for General Theory Status and Mimetic Deflection.
Epistemic status
Metatheoretical Principle.