Earned / Unearned framework

The Earned/Unearned framework, in the τ-framework, is a τ-categorical orthogonal factorization of every commitment-stance into an earned component (consequence of the agent's own morphism-history) and an unearned component (label-coordinate inheritance, gift, contingency). Earned/Unearned is the structural pre-condition that lets fairness, justice, and dignity each act on the correct part of the stance.

Categorical invariant. E/U = the orthogonal factorization Reg_C(c) = Reg_C^earned(c) ⊕ Reg_C^unearned(c), where Reg_C^earned commutes with the agent's morphism-history functor and Reg_C^unearned commutes with the label-permutation action.

Primary registry anchor: VII.D74

Supporting items: VII.D04, VII.D72, VII.D65, VII.D67

1. I.K0 — Universe Postulate
2. VII.D04 — Commitment Register Reg_C with codomain Stance
3. VII.D72 — Commitment Register Admissibility — the typing that earned/unearned respects
4. VII.D65 — Dignity as Label-Independence — guards the unearned component
5. VII.D74 — Earned/Unearned Ethics Framework — the orthogonal factorization itself
6. VII.D67 — Fairness Protocol — operates on the earned component, holding the unearned invariant

The Earned/Unearned distinction is instantiated whenever moral evaluation must separate what an agent has done from what they happen to be. Examples: meritocratic praise/blame (earned only); civil rights doctrine (dignity protects the unearned); luck-egalitarian redistribution (smoothing unearned advantage while preserving earned reward).

Examples:

• Meritocratic praise and blame — apply only to the earned component of stance
• Civil rights / anti-discrimination law — dignity-as-label-independence guards the unearned component
• Luck egalitarianism (Dworkin, Cohen) — redistributive smoothing of unearned advantage
• Affirmative action debates — disagreement framed as: which projection of the stance is morally relevant?
• Inheritance taxation — explicit social technology for separating earned from unearned wealth
• Sports doping — adjudication treats performance-enhancement as illegitimately migrating unearned into earned

Register codomain: Stance (Reg_C — E/U is the canonical orthogonal decomposition of Reg_C readouts into history-coupled and label-coupled components)

Manuscript reference: manuscript-sources/book-07/part07/ch92.tex

Status: Planned

Related glossary entries

• MG-C01-dignity Dignity (label-independence)
• MG-C02-fairness Fairness (CI-protocol)
• MG-C03-justice Justice (gluing of fair stances)

Referenced by

• MG-C05-character Character (ethical fixed point)
• MG-C08-responsibility Responsibility / Liability (monodromy of broken stance)
• MG-C09-rights Rights (dignity-protected unearned section)