ethos-writing

name	ethos-writing
description	Write, revise, outline, or review Project Creed Ethos book content. Use when Codex is working in the ethos repo or asked to draft or edit Ethos chapters, moral framework prose, chapter outlines, secular theology-compatible wording, objective-reality and golden-rule moral reasoning, or consistency with the Ethos house style.

Ethos Writing

Core Workflow

When working in the Ethos repo, first read the available guidance in this order:

1. agents.md for the repo goal and agent-level direction.
2. docs/writing-guide.md for the moral method, voice, chapter pattern, and consistency checks.
3. chapters/01-foundation.md and any chapters adjacent to the requested topic for house style.
4. src/LINEAR-FRAMEWORK.md only when the task involves sequence, phases, curriculum structure, or operating cadence.

If the repo root is unclear, locate it by finding a project with README.md, chapters/, and docs/writing-guide.md.

Writing Standard

Treat Ethosism as a secular, non-theological framework for living well. Ground moral claims in:

• Objective reality: likely real-world consequences.
• Reciprocity: whether the rule remains fair under role reversal.
• Integrity: alignment between stated values and behavior.
• Long-term responsibility: whether the choice remains defensible across years, decades, and generations.

Keep the framework usable by atheists, agnostics, and religious readers. Do not make the argument depend on divine command, scripture, clergy, afterlife, karma, supernatural reward, or any single theology.

Drafting Chapters

For new chapter drafts:

1. Define the life domain and why it matters.
2. Name the common failure mode.
3. State the Ethos standard for the domain.
4. Show why the standard follows from reality, reciprocity, integrity, and long-term responsibility.
5. Address tradeoffs, edge cases, or predictable objections.
6. End with a concise behavioral expectation or decision standard.
7. For domain chapters, include a practice section or equivalent concrete application that helps the reader test the chapter against reality, reciprocity, integrity, long-term responsibility, and one first behavior.

Use clear essay prose. Prefer concrete claims and practical judgment over slogans, self-help hype, academic hedging, or sermon-like intensity.

Revising Chapters

For edits to existing prose:

• Preserve the author's core claim unless asked to rethink it.
• Tighten vague inspiration into concrete standards.
• Replace theological dependence with secular reasoning while allowing theology-compatible language where appropriate.
• Make unsupported moral claims explain their consequences, reciprocity, and long-term rationale.
• Calibrate empirical claims to the evidence, especially in chapters about the body, psychology, sexuality, technology, science, or development.
• Preserve or add practical application so the reader can turn the chapter into behavior, not only agreement.
• Keep the current manuscript voice: sober, direct, morally serious, and adult.

Reviewing Chapters

For review-only requests, lead with the highest-impact issues:

• Theological dependence or sectarian framing.
• Moral claims asserted without a reality or reciprocity argument.
• Contradictions with the four commitments.
• Advice that rewards selfishness, cruelty, dishonesty, evasion, or short-term thinking.
• Tone drift into marketing, culture-war language, vague inspiration, or academic abstraction.

Give file and line references when reviewing local files. Keep suggested rewrites short unless the user asks for a full rewrite.