factor-removal

name	factor-removal
description	Strategy: Systematic factor removal — remove factors one at a time and observe whether the conclusion remains stable, identifying which factors are load-bearing.
type	strategy
tactics	["systematic-factor-ablation","minimal-change-search"]
dependencies	{"tactics":["minimal-change-search","systematic-factor-ablation"],"sops":["counterfactual-scenario-construction","factor-enumeration","flip-point-detection","fragility-measurement","load-bearing-identification","single-factor-removal"]}

Factor Removal Strategy

Ablation study approach: systematically remove each factor and observe conclusion stability.

Method

1. factor-enumeration lists all factors supporting the conclusion
2. single-factor-removal removes one factor at a time
3. counterfactual-scenario-construction reasons about the modified scenario
4. fragility-measurement scores how much the conclusion degrades
5. load-bearing-identification ranks factors by impact of removal
6. Optional: flip-point-detection for partial removal (dose-response)

Budget Table

Parameter	S	M	L
Factors removed	5	10	20
Removal iterations	1	2	3
Combination removals	0	3	8

Orchestration

factor-enumeration → [rank by suspected importance]
→ [for each factor]:
    single-factor-removal
    → counterfactual-scenario-construction
    → fragility-measurement
→ [if budget allows, test combinations]:
    single-factor-removal (multiple factors)
    → counterfactual-scenario-construction
→ load-bearing-identification (final ranking)

Subagents

• factor-enumeration (factor listing)
• single-factor-removal (ablation)
• counterfactual-scenario-construction (scenario reasoning)
• fragility-measurement (degradation scoring)
• load-bearing-identification (ranking)
• flip-point-detection (dose-response, optional)

Available Tactics

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

Tactic	When to use
minimal-change-search	Tactic: Generate candidate changes, detect flip-points where conclusion reverses, measure fragility as distance to nearest flip.
systematic-factor-ablation	Tactic: List all factors, remove one at a time, assess conclusion stability, rank factors by load-bearing importance.

Available SOPs

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

SOP	When to use
counterfactual-scenario-construction	Construct precise, internally consistent counterfactual scenarios where specified factors are altered, then reason about the resulting conclusion.
factor-enumeration	List all key factors, conditions, and assumptions that support or enable the artifact's conclusion.
flip-point-detection	Find the minimal change magnitude along a dimension that causes the conclusion to flip from true to false.
fragility-measurement	Compute a fragility index from flip-point distances and degradation scores, summarizing how robust the conclusion is.
load-bearing-identification	Identify which factors are "load-bearing walls" — factors whose removal would collapse the conclusion.
single-factor-removal	Remove one specified factor from the artifact's support structure and reason about how the conclusion changes.