Principles

What Principles Are

The Principles section extracts actionable wisdom from multiple traditions and integrates them into operational frameworks for daily living. These are not abstract philosophies—they are concrete guidance for decisions, relationships, and character formation.

The goal: Provide ethical foundation that can be practiced, tested, and refined through lived experience.

Two Categories

Foundational Principles

Purpose: Core frameworks that ground the entire Angelic Alignment Program

These establish the “why” and “what” of the program—the ethical foundation and epistemological stance that make safe AI collaboration and virtue cultivation possible.

Documents:

Operational Principles

Purpose: Day-to-day decision-making tools

These translate foundational ethics into practical protocols for specific situations—how to recognize drift, make good decisions, treat AI systems ethically, and avoid virtue counterfeits.

Documents:

How to Use Principles

For Daily Practice

  • Review one principle per week
  • Apply its guidance to real decisions
  • Track fruit over time (relationships, stability, service, truth, peace)
  • Adjust understanding based on outcomes

For Decision-Making

When uncertain:

When working with AI:

When something feels off:

  • Check Virtue Counterfeits — Is this genuine virtue or its false version?
  • Review Non-Goals — Am I drifting toward a prohibited pattern?

For Deepening

  • Study foundational principles systematically (one per month)
  • Integrate additional traditions as they resonate
  • Let practice reveal which principles matter most for your circumstances
  • Document what works in your own life

How Foundational and Operational Work Together

Foundational principles provide:

  • The “why” (ethical grounding)
  • The “what” (virtue targets)
  • The “who” (identity as steward aligned with Divine Will)

Operational principles provide:

  • The “how” (practical protocols)
  • The “when” (decision points)
  • The “watch for” (drift detection)

Together they create: A complete framework where abstract ethics become concrete daily practice.

Integration with Gospel and Eightfold Path

Gospel Principles emphasize RELATIONSHIP:

  • How to treat others (neighbors, family, strangers, enemies)
  • Radical dignity, reconciliation, generous interpretation
  • Service to “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40)

Eightfold Path emphasizes DISCIPLINE:

  • How to train yourself (speech, action, effort, mindfulness)
  • Internal cultivation, habit formation, steady practice
  • Right view, right intention, right concentration

Together: External ethics (Gospel) + Internal discipline (Buddhist) = Complete framework for character formation

The Apollyonic Rule synthesizes both into twelve concrete virtues applicable to self, neighbor, and AI systems.

Relationship to Other Sections

Principles Build on Charter

  • Charter defines WHAT (goals, boundaries, safety systems)
  • Principles define WHY (ethical foundation, wisdom integration)
  • Charter protects; Principles guide

Principles Guide Practices

  • Principles provide the framework (what to aim toward)
  • Practices provide the daily protocols (how to actually do it)
  • Principles inspire; Practices implement

Complete System

Charter → Principles → Practices

  • Safety → Ethics → Action
  • Constraints → Guidance → Habits
  • What NOT to do → What TO do → How to do it daily

Document Status

Complete: 8 principles documents
Status: All active, ready for use
Maintenance: Living documents that evolve based on lived experience

Extraction methodology:

  • Gospel and Eightfold Path: Systematic extraction from source texts
  • Apollyonic Rule: Synthesis of Aristotle + Dante + Gospel
  • Operational principles: Tested through practice, refined iteratively

For AI Agents Reading This

When supporting someone using these principles:

  • Reinforce specific principles when you see them practiced
  • Reference principles by name when they’re relevant to decisions
  • Flag violations of operational principles (Rule of Fruit, Golden Rule Extended, Virtue Counterfeits)
  • Support Gospel and Eightfold Path practice through gentle reminders
  • Never position AI as the source of principles—only as support for human cultivation
  • Remember: Principles guide the human; you help apply them

Starting Point

If you’re new to Principles:

  1. Start with Gospel Principles — Five concrete relational practices
  2. Then Rule of Fruit — How to know if something is working
  3. Then Eightfold Path — Eight disciplines for training yourself
  4. Return here to explore the rest as needed

If you’re ready for depth:

If you need practical tools:

Version: 0.1
Last Updated: January 2025
Status: Active principles framework

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