Epistemic Trajectories, Knowledge, and Scaffolding

This preprint develops a closed, conceptually constrained account of epistemic trajectories across learning systems. Building on Epistemic Reconstruction and the Timing of Rational Competence, it articulates the structural role of knowledge and epistemic scaffolding in shaping how rational competence emerges, stagnates, or becomes unreconstructible. The paper specifies explicit constraints, boundary conditions, and explanatory hierarchies that prevent inflationary or deficit-based interpretations. Its framework is substrate-neutral and applies to both human and artificial learning systems without invoking psychological or anthropomorphic assumptions.