Meaning Regimes (PCMR / DMR)

Governance classification operative at binding

1. Canonical Definition

Meaning regimes classify the authorization status under which meaning governs action at binding. A Post-Closure Meaning Regime (PCMR) exists when meaning governs under legitimate authority, while a De Facto Meaning Regime (DMR) exists when meaning governs without legitimate authority. Regimes are operative at binding and are not produced by closure or crystallization.

2. Phase and Preconditions

• Operates: event-internal (classified at binding)

• Requires: binding and an operative authority condition

• Does not require: closure, crystallization, or persistence across time

3. Scope and Exclusions

Meaning regimes are not:

• temporal states or post-event outcomes

• created by persistence or repetition

• equivalent to legitimacy itself

• indicators of correctness or truth

• systems, events, or response pathways

4. Structural Role

Meaning regimes classify how binding governance is authorized. They determine whether action-governing meaning operates under de jure authority (PCMR) or only de facto control (DMR). This classification conditions downstream persistence evaluation but does not determine whether meaning closes, crystallizes, or drifts.

5. Authority and Legitimacy Status

• Authority relation: classifies

• Legitimacy relation: determines

Regimes specify whether binding satisfies de jure conditions for legitimate governance. Legitimacy is evaluated at binding and does not arise from persistence or enforcement.

6. Temporal Status

Meaning regimes may persist across time only insofar as a crystallized baseline continues to govern action. Persistence does not alter the regime classification; legitimate persistence preserves PCMR, while illegitimate persistence preserves DMR.

7. Common Category Errors

• Treating regimes as post-closure or temporal states

• Assuming crystallization creates legitimacy

• Confusing regimes with authority structures or institutions

• Treating regime persistence as evidence of correctness

8. Canonical Cross-References

Binding • Action-Governing Meaning (AGM) • Crystallization • Drift • Action Determinacy Loss (ADL) • De Jure Conditions

9. Plain Statement

Meaning regimes describe whether governing meaning is authorized legitimately or only enforced in practice.