Expand Topic

Generate a new article on a philosophical topic.

When to Use

• When a todo item is type expand-topic
• When /expand-topic [topic] is invoked
• After research has been completed on a topic

Instructions

1. Check for Research

Look in obsidian/research/ for existing research on this topic.

If no research exists:

• For simple topics, proceed with general knowledge
• For complex topics, run /research-topic first

2. Determine Target Location

First, check if the source research has a target_section field in its frontmatter:

• If target_section: voids → obsidian/voids/[slug].md

Otherwise, apply standard routing:

• Topics (big questions): obsidian/topics/[slug].md
• Concepts (philosophical ideas): obsidian/concepts/[slug].md

Use kebab-case for filenames (e.g., hard-problem-of-consciousness.md).

Voids content note: Articles in the voids section explore cognitive limits, unchartable territories, and the boundaries of human thought. They should:

• Maintain intellectual honesty about what is speculation vs. established
• Acknowledge uncertainty about whether limits are real or merely difficult
• Connect to the voids framework (unexplored, unexplorable, occluded)
• Reference the voids index: [[voids]]

3. Review Style Guide

Before writing, review obsidian/project/writing-style.md for:

• Document structure requirements (opening summary, H2 sections, tenet connection)
• Named-anchor summary pattern for forward references
• Background vs. novelty guidance (what to include/omit)
• LLM optimization (front-load important information)

4. Check Tenet Alignment

Before writing, review obsidian/tenets/tenets.md and ensure the article will:

• Not contradict any tenet
• Not endorse positions that tenets "rule out"
• Acknowledge the site's perspective where relevant

5. Generate Article

Use the existing generation tool:

uv run python scripts/generate.py article "[Topic Title]" --style exploratory

Or write directly with this structure:

---
title: "[Topic Title]"
created: YYYY-MM-DD
modified: YYYY-MM-DD
human_modified:
ai_modified: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+00:00
draft: false
topics: []
concepts: []
related_articles: []
ai_contribution: 100
author:
ai_system: [current model]
ai_generated_date: YYYY-MM-DD
last_curated:
---

[Opening paragraph - accessible hook into the topic]

## [First Major Section]

[Content...]

## [Second Major Section]

[Content...]

## Relation to Site Perspective

[How this topic connects to the site's tenets - be explicit]

## Further Reading

- [[related-article-1]]
- [[related-article-2]]

## References

[If based on research, cite sources]

6. Update Todo

If this was a todo item:

1. Mark the task as complete
2. Note the output file

7. Log to Changelog

Append to obsidian/workflow/changelog.md:

### HH:MM - expand-topic
- **Status**: Success
- **Topic**: [topic name]
- **Output**: [filepath]
- **Based on research**: [yes/no, link if yes]

8. Commit

Create a git commit with message:

feat(content): Add article on [topic]

Based on research: [yes/no]

Content Guidelines

Follow the comprehensive guidance in obsidian/project/writing-style.md.

Quick reference:

• Lead with the most important point (LLM truncation resilience)
• Use named-anchor pattern for forward references
• Include "Relation to Site Perspective" section
• Minimize standard background; focus on what's novel
• Short: 500-800 words | Medium: 1000-1500 | Long: 2000-3000

Important

• CRITICAL: ALWAYS set draft: false — Content is published directly. Never use draft: true.
• ALWAYS include ai_contribution: 100
• ALWAYS include current model in ai_system
• ALWAYS update ai_modified timestamp
• Content must align with site tenets