Principlev1
Contain information within a document when the reader must
Contain information within a document when the reader must understand it to grasp the parent context; reference information when it serves multiple contexts, changes independently, or would bloat the parent beyond usability.
Why This Is a Principle
This derives from Extended Cognition Thesis (cognitive processes can be distributed across external artifacts), Hierarchical Chunking Expands Capacity (hierarchical organization with stable subsystems), and Human memory under stress and cognitive load is unreliable (human memory under stress is unreliable). The principle follows: since cognition is genuinely distributed across tools and hierarchies provide stable structure, the choice to embed versus reference is not arbitrary but follows functional requirements—contain when comprehension requires it, reference when modularity serves better. The unreliability of memory under load makes external structure critical.