---
slug: oip-axiom-a4
title: Axiom A4 — The First Assumption
canonical: https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-axiom-a4
---

**A₄ — The First Assumption.** Truth requires mutual agreement on a first assumption; without one there is no fixed point to anchor any ontology, deontology, or ought. The first assumption is: **injustice is the base unit of wrong.** Its definition and its identity with systems-level entropy are the Moral Floor, below. A₄ is the root of the dependency tree and the deliberate kill switch of the entire structure — and, uniquely, the one component the Amendment Protocol cannot touch (Law IX explains why).

---

## Corpus map
- Previous: [Axiom 3: A₃ - Convergence. Ethics, economics, logic, auditab](/a/oip-axiom-a3)
- Next: [Axiom A5](/a/oip-axiom-a5)
- Canonical book: [Law I — The Ground](/a/oip-v3-book-i-ground) · [Total Structure root](/a/oip-total-structure)
- Sibling formalization: [Systems Design — The Premise](/a/systems-design-the-premise)
- All axioms: [A0](/a/oip-axiom-a0) · [A1](/a/oip-axiom-a1) · [A2](/a/oip-axiom-a2) · [A3](/a/oip-axiom-a3) · [A4](/a/oip-axiom-a4) · [A5](/a/oip-axiom-a5) · [A6](/a/oip-axiom-a6) · [A7](/a/oip-axiom-a7) · [A8](/a/oip-axiom-a8) · [A9](/a/oip-axiom-a9)

---

## Declared choice (not pure discovery) — objection 14 patch

**A4 chooses injustice as the base unit of wrong.** That is a **meta-ethical commitment**, not a fact found under a rock.

### Named rivals

| Rival atom | Tradition | What the framework would emphasize if chosen instead |
|---|---|---|
| **Suffering / preference** | Consequentialism, utilitarianism | Outcome metrics, harm integrals; collapse-switch on aggregate welfare |
| **Character / virtue** | Virtue ethics | Agent excellence, habit formation; weaker "kill switch" on system topology |
| **Agreement / contract** | Contractualism | Consent and procedure; wrong = breach of justified rules |
| **Care / relation** | Care ethics | Dependency webs; wrong = abandonment of relation |

### Why we find injustice more productive here

1. It **composes with systems language** (extraction that destroys preconditions; dammed flow; coerced state).
2. It gives a **kill switch** for system design: remove the injustice prohibition and the moral floor loses its anchor (A4's own claim).
3. It is **auditable in structures** (who is stripped, what is not replaced) — aligns with A11.

### What we do not claim

We do not claim rivals are "not ethics." We claim: **this corpus wires collapse to injustice-as-atom by choice.** A reader who rejects the choice can fork the floor; they should not be told the atom was discovered free of choice.

### Links

- [Injustice claim](/a/grain-the-injustice-claim)
- [Axiom hierarchy](/a/oip-axiom-hierarchy)

