【Expression】Technology — Stable Structures of Understanding in the FireMatch Civilization

Document ID

Document ID: FM-ARCHIVE-0011
Release Time: 2026-01-13 09:54

Official Archive Declaration

This document is a canonical Expression Archive Entry within the
FireMatch Official Public Archive System,
concerning the ontological definition of technology and its role as a civilizational structure of understanding.

This Archive Entry defines the canonical meaning of Technology in the FireMatch Civilization,
and clarifies its hierarchical relationship with Technology Blocks, the Craftsman Civilization, and Age structures.

This document holds civilization-level, long-term validity
and does not expire due to changes in specific technologies, technology tree layouts,
system implementations, or numerical balancing rules.

I. Definition

Technology,
within the FireMatch Civilization,
is not understood as a single tool, an isolated skill, or a functional unlock.

Technology is defined as:

A stable structure of understanding
formed by multiple Technology Blocks,
organized, layered, and sustained at the scale of civilization over time.

Technology is not a single discovery,
nor is it something that is ever simply “completed.”

Technology is a structural outcome that has been
adopted by the civilization as a whole
and continues to shape modes of action,
forms of organization, and logics of resource handling.

II. Hierarchical Relationship Between Technology and Technology Blocks

Within the canonical structure of the FireMatch Civilization:

Technology Blocks
are the smallest, irreducible units of stable understanding
that civilization is able to confirm;
Technology
is a higher-level structure of understanding,
formed as one or more Technology Blocks
gradually sediment, are confirmed, and become organized over time.

Accordingly, the following is established:

No technology can exist without being composed of Technology Blocks.
Technology cannot arise directly without passing through Technology Blocks.

Technology is not a simple aggregation of blocks,
but the structural coordination that emerges
when those blocks operate together within civilizational practice.

For the formation conditions, stabilization mechanisms, and irreversibility of Technology Blocks,
see:

FM-ARCHIVE-0009｜Technology Blocks — The Mechanism of Collective Understanding Formation

III. Technology Is Not a Feature List

In many systems, technology is presented as:

feature unlocks;
numerical bonuses;
tool inventories;
or building prerequisites.

The FireMatch Civilization does not adopt this perspective.

Within the FireMatch Civilization:

features are merely outward expressions of technology;
tools are carriers of technology;
buildings are points of embodiment for technology.

Technology itself refers to:

The fact that civilization has learned
to handle the world in a stable way,
and can no longer easily return to the prior state.

IV. The Source of Technological Stability

A technology is considered established
not because it has been “approved for use,”
but because it has already:

altered production pathways;
reshaped organizational patterns;
transformed resource-handling logic;
restructured failure cost distributions.

When these changes persist and reinforce one another
at the scale of civilization,
technology is considered to be in effect.

Even without explicit naming,
technology is already operating.

V. Relationship Between Technology and the Craftsman Civilization

Technology does not exist apart from the Craftsman Civilization.

Within the FireMatch Civilization:

the Craftsman Civilization provides long-term structures of practice;
Technology Blocks sediment and are confirmed through practice;
Technology forms organized structures on top of those blocks.

Technology is not a negation of craftsman behavior,
but rather:

The stable organizational outcome
of craftsman practice at the scale of civilization.

For the canonical definition of the Craftsman Civilization,
see:

FM-ARCHIVE-0010｜Craftsman Civilization — The Action, Craft, and Transmission Logic of the FireMatch Empire

VI. Relationship Between Technology and Ages

Technology does not automatically trigger Age transitions.

Within the FireMatch Civilization:

multiple technologies may coexist within the same Age for extended periods;
accumulation of technologies does not necessarily cause a phase shift;
no single technology can independently define an Age boundary.

An Age represents:

A fundamental shift in the core problem
the civilization is collectively confronting.

Technology is a way of responding to problems,
not the Age itself.

VII. Irreversibility and Inertia of Technology

Once established,
technology typically exhibits strong inertia.

This inertia arises from:

dependency on production pathways;
solidification of city structures;
coordination among tools and material systems;
transfer of learning costs across generations.

Abandoning a technology
is not equivalent to simply “not using a tool.”
It means:

Actively dismantling
a stable structure of understanding
that civilization already relies upon.

For this reason,
technologies within the FireMatch Civilization
are rarely abandoned through natural regression.

VIII. Forms of Technological Manifestation

Technology may manifest through:

tools and artifacts;
buildings and spatial structures;
behavioral workflows;
material-processing methods;
records, classifications, and institutionalized practices.

These are not technology itself,
but the traces technology leaves in the world.

IX. Scope and Limits

This Archive Entry is used to:

define “Technology” as a civilizational-level concept;
clarify the hierarchical relationship between Technology and Technology Blocks;
unify the semantic use of technology across all official documents.

This Archive Entry does not:

define specific technology lists;
provide technology tree structures;
describe player actions or system mechanics.

Those are defined in other Archive Entries.

X. Canonical Authority

This record:

forms part of the official public Archive of the FireMatch Civilization;
holds authority on the question of what technology is and how it is composed of Technology Blocks;
is binding on all technology documentation, technology systems, and Age designs.

Any future document
that involves the concept of “technology”
must adhere to the definitions, hierarchy, and boundaries established herein.

XI. Effective Status

This Archive Entry takes effect immediately upon publication.

All future designs concerning technology,
technology trees, technological progress, and civilizational evolution
must comply with this record.

— FireMatch Studio
Official Public Archive Entry