About STL
A tension-path model where knowledge flows directionally from source to target, carrying semantic magnitude and type information.
Design Philosophy
STL introduces a tension-path model for knowledge representation. Unlike flat key-value stores or hierarchical documents, STL captures directional semantic relations with built-in provenance and confidence. Every statement is a path from source to target, enriched with metadata that enables reasoning, verification, and trust calibration.
How STL Compares
STL occupies a unique position: it is simultaneously human-readable, machine-parseable, and LLM-friendly. No other format achieves all three.
Core Syntax
"The fundamental form is simple: [Source] -> [Target] ::mod(key=value
9 Anchor Types
"STL defines 9 canonical anchor types across three layers: Semantic (Concept
Modifier System
"Modifiers are the metadata layer of STL. Nine categories cover temporal
""stl-key">class="stl-anchor">[Source_Anchor] "stl-key">class="stl-arrow">-> "stl-key">class="stl-anchor">[Target_Anchor] "stl-key">class="stl-mod">::mod(
"stl-key">confidence=0.85Anchor Types
Concept
Abstract ideas, theories, properties. [Freedom], [Energy], [Entropy]
Event
Actions, processes, temporal occurrences. [War], [Conference], [Migration]
Name
Uniquely identified named entities. [Einstein], [London], [Google]
Agent
Active or cognitive subjects. [Researcher], [AI_System], [Self]
Question
Points of inquiry, unresolved tension. [Hypothesis], [Why]
Verifier
Evaluation and validation mechanisms. [Test], [Criterion], [Observer]
Format Comparison
| Format | Machine | Human | LLM | Semantic | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTML | Partial | Rendered | Poor | No | No |
| JSON | Strong | Poor | Medium | No | No |
| Markdown | Weak | Strong | Strong | No | No |
| RDF/OWL | Strong | Poor | Poor | Strong | Ext. |
| STL | Strong | Strong | Strong | Native | Native |