The Representation Stack: A Model of How Reality Becomes Measurable, Optimized, and Interpreted

This paper introduces the Representation Stack, a structural model describing how reality is transformed into measurable, optimizable, and interpretable forms within large-scale systems.As systems scale, they no longer operate directly on reality, but on successive layers of representation including measurement, metrics, optimization processes, structured outputs, and narrative interpretation. Each layer introduces compression, reducing complexity while increasing distance from the underlying conditions being represented.The Representation Stack provides a framework for identifying where misalignment emerges across this process. Rather than a single point of failure, error accumulates gradually as context is…