Front Matter

How to Read This Book

The Preface asks one question: How do we safely grant autonomy to commodity intelligence? The book builds toward the answer provided by MAGE. The Conclusion returns to the question and asks its converse: What cannot be delegated? Figure 0.2-1 traces that argument.

The book's argument — a question posed in the Preface, answered in the Conclusion, across six Parts, with the two appendix Parts branching off A single descent through the book's argument. The Preface poses the opening question: how do we safely grant autonomy to commodity intelligence? It leads to Part I, The New Engineering Problem — changed economics. Then Part II, Modeling — make knowledge and intent explicit. Then Part III, Alignment — give obligations authority. Then Part IV, The MAGE Method — model, align, work, convert; a dotted branch runs to Appendix Part I, Practice (use and extend). Then Part V, The Evidence — depth and breadth; a dotted branch runs to Appendix Part II, Evidence (inspect the empirical record). Then Part VI, The Profession — theory, implications, engineer. The descent ends at the Conclusion, which returns to the Preface's question and asks its converse: what cannot be delegated? Responsibility. The dotted appendix branches are related destinations, not steps in the argument. question → argument → answer Preface “How do we safely grant autonomy to commodity intelligence?” Part I · The New Engineering Problem changed economics Part II · Modeling make knowledge + intent explicit Part III · Alignment give obligations authority Part IV · The MAGE Method model · align · work · convert Appendix Part I · Practice use + extend Part V · The Evidence depth + breadth Appendix Part II · Evidence inspect the empirical record Part VI · The Profession theory · implications · engineer Conclusion returns to the question, and asks its converse: “What cannot be delegated?” — RESPONSIBILITY
Figure 0.2-1. The book's argument, from the Preface's opening question through the six Parts to the Conclusion's answer and its converse.

Three shorter routes serve different purposes:

© James C. Davis, 2026–present