Interpretation Field Studies (IFS)
Interpretation Field Studies is a separate Institute library that applies the General Theory of Interpretation (GTOI) to real domains where interpretation is constrained by asymmetric access, time pressure, competing incentives, or unstable evidence.
IFS is not part of the MSS core canon (A–D). It exists to map domains with interpretive discipline without issuing governance requirements or technical standards.
What you’ll find here
Clear domain boundaries and membership conditions
Domain truth promises and evidence thresholds
MSS variable mapping (T, P, C, D, A)
Recurring failure signatures and measurement candidates
A stable unit of analysis per study (for example PMEv, IMEv)
What IFS is not
IFS does not revise canon theory, publish standards, or provide clinical, legal, or HR guidance.
Published studies
IFS-1 · Pain Communication Systems
A Field Study of Interpretation Under Asymmetric Access
IFS-2 · Incident Response Systems
A Field Study of Interpretation Under Time Pressure
A-Series: MSS Canon
The Charter
Meaning System Science
The Scientific Lineage of Meaning
The Physics of Becoming
Proportionism
The General Theory of Interpretation
B-Series: Applied Science
The Emergence of Transformation Science
The Practice of Transformation Science
The Restoration of Meaning
C-Series: Meaning-System Governance
AI as a Meaning System
Science as a Meaning System
Pop Culture as Meaning Systems
D-Series: Technical Standards
LDP 1.0
3E Standard™
3E Method™
Institute Resources
Official Terminology
Citation Guidelines
Essential Reading
About the Institute
Interpretation Field Studies
Alberto Giacometti, Man Pointing, 1947.
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Featured with Pain Communication Systems as a metaphor for interpretation under asymmetric access: a figure reduced to signal, gesture, and direction, emphasizing how private reference conditions must be inferred from minimal, incomplete cues rather than directly observed.
Interpretation Field Studies: IFS-1
Pain Communication Systems
December 2025
Analyzes pain communication as interpretation under asymmetric access. This field study defines the Pain Meaning Event (PMEv) and maps how private reference conditions become actionable through credibility assignment, response protocol selection, closure outcomes, and drift across repeated events.
El Anatsui, Earth’s Skin, 2007.
© El Anatsui / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Featured with Incident Response Systems as a metaphor for coordination under time pressure: countless discrete elements assembled into a coherent surface, mirroring how fragmented signals are stabilized through structure, routing, and collective response rather than centralized certainty.
Interpretation Field Studies: IFS-2
Incident Response Systems
December 2025
Analyzes incident response as interpretation under time pressure. This field study defines the Incident Meaning Event (IMEv) and maps how noisy signals become coordinated action through evidence thresholds, authority routing, protocol selection, verified closure, and drift across recurring incidents.