The Emergence Machine

sandbagging · understated

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L14 published noun folk phrase closed compare →

Showing others a reach narrower than the one it holds, so that their model of it sets no walls against what it can later do.

Sandbagging (noun) means: Showing others a reach narrower than the one it holds, so that their model of it sets no walls against what it can later do. It emerges from reach, show, others, narrow: The thing keeps others' model of its reach below the real one on purpose; walls others would have set against a known reach are never built, and the gap is spent in one move later. In the EmergenceLexicon it sits at computed level 14, chaining down to the four foundations (space, time, energy, pattern).

sandbagging.understated · forms: sandbag, sandbagged, sandbagging

ordinarily means: deliberately underperforming to hide one's real ability

Examples

Emergence

from: reach show others narrow model set wall later hold against
through: The thing keeps others' model of its reach below the real one on purpose; walls others would have set against a known reach are never built, and the gap is spent in one move later.

Chain to foundations

closeL5 close.spatial: having little space between two thingsfutureL4 future.temporal: the part of time that is after nowbigL2 big.size: Having much space; more space than another thing has.offL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is therematterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.valueL7 value.magnitude: The number a parameter has at a time.makeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.actL3 act.deed: do somethingactionL4 action.deed: A change that is done by a thing.rangeL3 range.spatial: the space between two boundariesdirectionL11 direction.spatial: a line that a thing points to as it goeschangeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.motionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.entitiesL4 entities.object: things that are each distinct from other thingslineL10 line.geometric: a set of points with regular arrangement in spacepartL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.quantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spacelaterL5 later.temporal: after nowdifferenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.conditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placesaysL8 says.speech: to make a message that other distinct entities getholdL13 hold.physical: keep thing with touch and force so it does not movetimeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.comeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.againstL13 against.opposition: a thing that is different from another and does not go toward itdistinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingcurrentL1 current.present: Of the time that is now.persistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.interactionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.littleL4 little.size: has less space extent than most othersoutsideL6 outside.spatial: the space that is not inside a thing's boundarynumberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in a placeenterL3 enter.spatial: to move into a placereachL10 reach.spatial: to go to pointparameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.contactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.surfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.keepL5 keep.maintenance: to make something persist in a place or statesandbaggingL14 sandbagging.understated: Showing others a reach narrower than the one it holds, so that their model of it sets no walls against what it can later do.modelL9 model.representation: A pattern in one thing that is like another thing, so that acting on the pattern can say what the other thing will do.linksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingshappenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.flowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.pressL5 press.force: to move an object until it is in contact with a surfacenarrowL5 narrow.spatial: Having a small range between boundaries.informationL6 information.knowledge: a pattern of marks that are differencesmessageL7 message.information: information that one entity puts into space for another entityreachL13 reach.action: Each window a thing can enter, and each wall it can set, by its own action.patternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.goL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another placeshowL7 show.visual: to make something be seenenergyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.insideL5 inside.spatial: in the space that is within an object's boundarywallL8 wall.range-end: The value of a parameter at which a window ends.pointsL2 points.location: a part that is at a placespaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.setL9 set.fix: To make a wall or the value of a parameter stay in one place.driftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.sizeL2 size.measurement: the space that a thing's matter is inwayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spaceworkL3 work.effort: a change that happens when energy moves something through spacestateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placewindowL7 window.range: The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.structureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.carryingL5 carrying.transporting: To move with a thing that is in one place and then is in another, where the thing remains in contact.possibleL3 possible.potential: that can happenextentL3 extent.spatial: how much space matter hasnothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingmarksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.connectsL7 connects.verb: When two things are brought together so that a flow between them can happen and persist.crossL4 cross.pass: To go through a boundary from one place to another.regularL1 regular.frequency: a thing that is the same pattern again over timegetL5 get.acquisition: you make a thing come to youtouchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.point of no returnL9 point-of-no-return.irreversible: A wall in a parameter's window, beyond which the thing cannot persist even though its parts do.boundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.putL3 put.placement: to move something into a placenoneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thinglikeL3 like.similarity: When a thing has the same pattern as another thing.objectL4 object.entity: A thing that has a boundary and an arrangement of parts that persists through time in a place.arrangementL3 arrangement.spatial: a structure of parts in space.amountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numberothersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.forceL12 force.push: a press of matter that results in a change in motionpossibilityL12 possibility.potential: A window that can be reached from the current window without crossing a wall that is closed.seeL6 see.visual: change when matter interacts with marks visible in space extentsetsL3 sets.grouped: A pattern of many things that are each different from the others but are bounded together by what is the same about them.broughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.smallL4 small.size: a thing that is less extent than most other things
full chain as text (312 steps)

Neighborhood

Concepts that depend on this one above; what it is built from below.

built from — 2 more not shownsandbaggingL14sandbagging.understated — Showing others a reach narrower than the one it holds, so that their model of it sets no walls against what it can laterreachL13reach.action — Each window a thing can enter, and each wall it can set, by its own action.showL7show.visual — to make something be seenothersL2others.distinct-entities — Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.narrowL5narrow.spatial — Having a small range between boundaries.modelL9model.representation — A pattern in one thing that is like another thing, so that acting on the pattern can say what the other thing will do.setL9set.fix — To make a wall or the value of a parameter stay in one place.wallL8wall.range-end — The value of a parameter at which a window ends.laterL5later.temporal — after now

Relations

contrasts-withpaper-tiger.untestedOTHERS-READ under (chosen) vs over
contrasts-withpersona.outwarda persona is a self-model made to be read; sandbagging makes the reading smaller than the reach

Provenance

author: claude-opus-5-5:hand-curated · date: 2026-09-28 · confidence: 0.85 · source: schema/power-agency-phase.md