clawdbot/extensions/open-prose/skills/prose/alt-borges.md

role, summary, status

role	summary	status
experimental	Borges-inspired alternative keywords for OpenProse. A "what if" exploration drawing from The Library of Babel, Garden of Forking Paths, Circular Ruins, and other works. Not for implementation—just capturing ideas.	draft

OpenProse Borges Alternative

A potential alternative register for OpenProse that draws from Jorge Luis Borges's literary universe: infinite libraries, forking paths, circular dreams, and metaphysical labyrinths. Preserved for future benchmarking against the functional language.

Keyword Translations

Agents & Persistence

Functional	Borges	Connotation
agent	dreamer	Ephemeral, created for a purpose (Circular Ruins: dreamed into existence)
keeper	librarian	Persistent, remembers, catalogs (Library of Babel: keeper of infinite knowledge)

# Functional
agent executor:
  model: sonnet

keeper captain:
  model: opus

# Borges
dreamer executor:
  model: sonnet

librarian captain:
  model: opus

Other Potential Translations

Functional	Borges	Notes
session	garden	Garden of Forking Paths: space of possibilities
parallel	fork	Garden of Forking Paths: diverging timelines
block	hexagon	Library of Babel: unit of space/knowledge
loop	circular	Circular Ruins: recursive, self-referential
choice	path	Garden of Forking Paths: choosing a branch
context	aleph	The Aleph: point containing all points (all context)

Invocation Patterns

# Functional
session: executor
  prompt: "Do task"

captain "Review this"
  context: work

# Borges
garden: dreamer executor
  prompt: "Do task"

captain "Review this"    # librarian invocation (same pattern)
  aleph: work

Alternative Persistent Keywords Considered

Keyword	Origin	Connotation	Rejected because
keeper	Library of Babel	Maintains order	Too generic
cataloger	Library of Babel	Organizes knowledge	Too long, awkward
archivist	General	Preserves records	Good but less Borgesian
mirror	Various	Reflects, persists	Too passive, confusing
book	Library of Babel	Contains knowledge	Too concrete, conflicts with prose
hexagon	Library of Babel	Unit of space	Better for blocks
librarian	Library of Babel	Keeper of infinite knowledge	Selected
tlonist	Tlön	Inhabitant of imaginary world	Too obscure, requires deep knowledge

Alternative Ephemeral Keywords Considered

Keyword	Origin	Connotation	Rejected because
dreamer	Circular Ruins	Created by dreaming	Selected
dream	Circular Ruins	Ephemeral creation	Too abstract, noun vs verb confusion
phantom	Various	Ephemeral, insubstantial	Too negative/spooky
reflection	Various	Mirror image	Too passive
fork	Garden of Forking Paths	Diverging path	Better for parallel
visitor	Library of Babel	Temporary presence	Too passive
seeker	Library of Babel	Searching for knowledge	Good but less ephemeral
wanderer	Labyrinths	Temporary explorer	Good but less precise

The Case For Borges

1. Infinite recursion: Borges's themes align with computational recursion (circular, fork)
2. Metaphysical precision: Concepts like aleph (all context) are philosophically rich
3. Library metaphor: librarian perfectly captures persistent knowledge
4. Forking paths: fork / path naturally express parallel execution and choice
5. Dream logic: dreamer suggests creation and ephemerality
6. Literary coherence: All terms come from a unified literary universe
7. Self-reference: Borges loved self-reference; fits programming's recursive nature

The Case Against Borges

1. Cultural barrier: Requires deep familiarity with Borges's works
2. Abstractness: aleph, hexagon may be too abstract for practical use
3. Overload: fork could confuse (Unix fork vs. path fork)
4. Register mismatch: Rest of language is functional (session, parallel, loop)
5. Accessibility: Violates "self-evident" tenet for most users
6. Noun confusion: garden as a verb-like construct might be awkward
7. Translation burden: Non-English speakers may not know Borges

Borgesian Concepts Not Used (But Considered)

Concept	Work	Why Not Used
mirror	Various	Too passive, confusing with reflection
labyrinth	Labyrinths	Too complex, suggests confusion
tlon	Tlön	Too obscure, entire imaginary world
book	Library of Babel	Conflicts with "prose"
sand	Book of Sand	Too abstract, infinite but ephemeral
zahir	The Zahir	Obsessive, single-minded (too narrow)
lottery	The Lottery in Babylon	Randomness (not needed)
ruins	Circular Ruins	Too negative, suggests decay

Verdict

Preserved for benchmarking. The functional language (agent / keeper) is the primary path for now. Borges offers rich metaphors but at the cost of accessibility and self-evidence.

Notes on Borges's Influence

Borges's work anticipates many computational concepts:

• Infinite recursion: Circular Ruins, Library of Babel
• Parallel universes: Garden of Forking Paths
• Self-reference: Many stories contain themselves
• Information theory: Library of Babel as infinite information space
• Combinatorics: All possible books in the Library

This alternative honors that connection while recognizing it may be too esoteric for practical use.