Babel Bible

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Babel Bible — K-12 Expansion Plan

Drafted 2026-05-20. Extends Codex from a post-high-school math/physics curriculum into a complete K-12+ education. Adds three new top-level domains: Language, World, Philosophy. Read OVERVIEW.md and BRIEF.md first.

Status: Draft. Defines content structure, neutrality principles, section numbering, and concept DAGs. Production follows this plan.

1. What this plan does

Extends the curriculum from 5 domains (Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Philosophy) to 7 by adding:

  • Language (section 22) — grammar, writing, literature techniques (tiered units) + reading guides (essays)
  • World (section 23) — economics, civics, geography (tiered units) + history (essays)

Philosophy (section 20) absorbs history essays and normative civics essays as it grows.

Site nav becomes:

Math | Physics | Chemistry | Biology | Language | World | Philosophy

2. Neutrality principles

Content must be honest. These are non-negotiable.

2.1 Descriptive, not prescriptive

Grammar describes how English works, not how it "should" work. Economics describes how markets behave under different models, not how they "should" be structured. Civics describes how governments work, not which one is best. The reader learns what IS and draws their own conclusions about what OUGHT TO BE.

2.2 Multiple perspectives on contested ground

Where genuine disagreement exists — economic schools, historical interpretation, constitutional meaning, literary criticism — present the major positions without endorsing one. Name the schools. Name their arguments. Name their critics. The reader decides.

2.3 Comparative, not provincial

Civics covers multiple systems (parliamentary, presidential, federal, unitary), not just one country's. Economics covers multiple schools (neoclassical, Keynesian, institutional, behavioral, Austrian, Marxian), not just the dominant one. Geography covers the whole world. Literature draws from multiple traditions and periods.

2.4 No false balance

Presenting "both sides" when 97% of evidence supports one position is itself a bias. Climate change is real. Evolution is real. Germ theory is real. These are facts, not perspectives. The honest approach is to distinguish what's settled from what's genuinely contested. Section 20 essays handle the contested parts.

2.5 Source transparency

Every claim cites its source. If a claim is contested, the sources show that. If a claim is consensus, the sources show that too. The reference archive and [ref:] citation system carry forward unchanged.

2.6 Acknowledge the observer

History is told by someone. Every historical account has a perspective. The history essays are transparent about whose perspective they present and what evidence supports each reading. No essay pretends to be the definitive account.

3. Section numbering

Existing sections are locked (00-08 math, 09-13 physics, 14-16 chemistry, 17-19 biology, 20 philosophy, 21 number theory). New sections:

Prefix Domain Subsections
22.01 Language — Grammar Parts of speech through punctuation
22.02 Language — Writing Sentences through revision
22.03 Language — Literature techniques Metaphor through unreliable narration
23.01 World — Economics Scarcity through development economics
23.02 World — Civics Government through international organizations
23.03 World — Geography Maps through environmental geography
20.essays Philosophy — expanded History, normative civics, new philosophy

Essay IDs follow the existing pattern: 22.essays.NN (reading guides), 23.essays.NN (history), 20.essays.NN (philosophy, normative civics).

4. Content types

Tiered units (sections 22.01-22.03, 23.01-23.03)

Same UNIT_SPEC.md. Same frontmatter schema. Same validator. Differences from STEM units:

  • lean_status: none on all units (no Mathlib coverage for grammar/economics/civics)
  • human_reviewer required on all units
  • Exercise types skew toward multiple-choice, short-answer, open-ended
  • No symbolic or lean-proof exercise types
  • Master tier is "the deeper truth behind the procedure" rather than "graduate research readiness"
    • Grammar Master: linguistic theory, Chomsky, universal grammar, why English does what it does
    • Economics Master: mathematical formalization of the model, its limits, alternative models
    • Civics Master: comparative political theory, constitutional philosophy
    • Geography Master: geospatial analysis, GIS concepts, statistical geography

Essays (sections 20, 22.essays, 23.essays)

Same format as existing philosophy and chemistry essays. Frontmatter:

title: "..."
slug: "..."
order: N
subtitle: "..."
id: 23.essays.01
applies_to: [23]

No validator. No prerequisites. No tier markers. Multi-perspective synthesis.

5. Concept DAG — Language

5.1 Grammar (22.01)

22.01.01 Nouns
22.01.02 Verbs
22.01.03 Sentences (subject + predicate)
  ← 22.01.01, 22.01.02
22.01.04 Pronouns
  ← 22.01.01
22.01.05 Adjectives
  ← 22.01.01
22.01.06 Adverbs
  ← 22.01.02
22.01.07 Prepositions
22.01.08 Conjunctions (coordinating, subordinating, correlative)
22.01.09 Interjections
22.01.10 Noun phrases and verb phrases
  ← 22.01.01, 22.01.02
22.01.11 Subject-verb agreement
  ← 22.01.03, 22.01.04
22.01.12 Verb tense (present, past, future)
  ← 22.01.02
22.01.13 Perfect and progressive aspects
  ← 22.01.12
22.01.14 Active and passive voice
  ← 22.01.03, 22.01.12
22.01.15 Clauses (independent and dependent)
  ← 22.01.03, 22.01.08
22.01.16 Compound and complex sentences
  ← 22.01.15
22.01.17 Relative clauses
  ← 22.01.15, 22.01.04
22.01.18 Punctuation: end marks, commas
  ← 22.01.03
22.01.19 Punctuation: semicolons, colons, dashes
  ← 22.01.16, 22.01.18
22.01.20 Apostrophes and quotation marks
  ← 22.01.03
22.01.21 Common errors (fragments, run-ons, dangling modifiers)
  ← 22.01.16, 22.01.18
22.01.22 Parallel structure
  ← 22.01.16
22.01.23 Pronoun case and reference
  ← 22.01.04, 22.01.17
22.01.24 Capitalization conventions
  ← 22.01.03

5.2 Writing (22.02)

22.02.01 Writing a clear sentence
  ← 22.01.03 (sentences)
22.02.02 Paragraph structure
  ← 22.02.01
22.02.03 Transitions and flow
  ← 22.02.02
22.02.04 Thesis statement
  ← 22.02.02
22.02.05 Structuring an argument
  ← 22.02.04
22.02.06 Using evidence
  ← 22.02.05
22.02.07 Counterargument and rebuttal
  ← 22.02.05
22.02.08 Introduction and conclusion
  ← 22.02.04
22.02.09 Citation and attribution
  ← 22.02.06
22.02.10 Revision and editing
  ← 22.02.01
22.02.11 Style and voice
  ← 22.02.10

5.3 Literature techniques (22.03)

22.03.01 Literal vs figurative language
  ← 22.01.01 (nouns, basic vocabulary)
22.03.02 Metaphor and simile
  ← 22.03.01
22.03.03 Symbolism and allegory
  ← 22.03.02
22.03.04 Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic)
  ← 22.03.01
22.03.05 Foreshadowing and suspense
  ← 22.03.01
22.03.06 Point of view (first, second, third person)
  ← 22.01.03 (sentences)
22.03.07 Tone and mood
  ← 22.03.06
22.03.08 Theme
  ← 22.03.01
22.03.09 Motif and repetition
  ← 22.03.08
22.03.10 Unreliable narration
  ← 22.03.06, 22.03.04
22.03.11 Satire and parody
  ← 22.03.04
22.03.12 Imagery and sensory detail
  ← 22.03.01
22.03.13 Allusion
  ← 22.03.01
22.03.14 Personification
  ← 22.03.02
22.03.15 Hyperbole and understatement
  ← 22.03.01

6. Concept DAG — World

6.1 Economics (23.01)

23.01.01 Scarcity and choice
23.01.02 Opportunity cost
  ← 23.01.01
23.01.03 Supply and demand
  ← 23.01.01
23.01.04 Market equilibrium
  ← 23.01.03
23.01.05 Elasticity
  ← 23.01.04
23.01.06 Price controls (ceilings and floors)
  ← 23.01.04
23.01.07 Consumer and producer surplus
  ← 23.01.04
23.01.08 Costs of production (fixed, variable, marginal)
  ← 23.01.01
23.01.09 Perfect competition
  ← 23.01.04, 23.01.08
23.01.10 Monopoly
  ← 23.01.09
23.01.11 Oligopoly and monopolistic competition
  ← 23.01.10
23.01.12 Profit maximization
  ← 23.01.08, 23.01.09
23.01.13 Labor markets and wages
  ← 23.01.04
23.01.14 Money and banking
  ← 23.01.01
23.01.15 Inflation and deflation
  ← 23.01.14
23.01.16 GDP and economic measurement
  ← 23.01.01
23.01.17 Unemployment
  ← 23.01.16
23.01.18 Fiscal policy (taxes and spending)
  ← 23.01.16
23.01.19 Monetary policy (interest rates, central banks)
  ← 23.01.15, 23.01.16
23.01.20 International trade and comparative advantage
  ← 23.01.02
23.01.21 Exchange rates
  ← 23.01.14, 23.01.20
23.01.22 Game theory basics (prisoner's dilemma, Nash equilibrium)
  ← 23.01.01
23.01.23 Externalities and public goods
  ← 23.01.09
23.01.24 Income inequality and redistribution
  ← 23.01.16
23.01.25 Behavioral economics: biases and heuristics
  ← 23.01.01
23.01.26 Market failures
  ← 23.01.09, 23.01.23
23.01.27 Economic systems (market, command, mixed)
  ← 23.01.01
23.01.28 Development economics
  ← 23.01.16, 23.01.20
23.01.29 Personal finance: budgeting, saving, compound interest
  ← 23.01.14
23.01.30 Personal finance: credit, debt, investing
  ← 23.01.29

Math prerequisites from existing sections:

  • 23.01.03 (supply/demand) ← 00.03.01 (linear equations)
  • 23.01.05 (elasticity) ← 00.03.02 (quadratic formula for calculus-adjacent thinking)
  • 23.01.08 (costs) ← 00.03.01 (linear equations)
  • 23.01.29 (compound interest) ← 00.05.01 (exponentials/logarithms, when it exists)

6.2 Civics (23.02)

23.02.01 What is government
23.02.02 Types of government (democracy, monarchy, authoritarian, theocratic, oligarchic)
  ← 23.02.01
23.02.03 What is a constitution
  ← 23.02.01
23.02.04 Separation of powers
  ← 23.02.03
23.02.05 The legislature
  ← 23.02.04
23.02.06 The executive
  ← 23.02.04
23.02.07 The judiciary
  ← 23.02.04
23.02.08 How a law is made
  ← 23.02.05, 23.02.06
23.02.09 Electoral systems (plurality, proportional, ranked choice, mixed)
  ← 23.02.02
23.02.10 Political parties and interest groups
  ← 23.02.09
23.02.11 Rights and civil liberties
  ← 23.02.03
23.02.12 Federalism and local government
  ← 23.02.04
23.02.13 International organizations (UN, EU, AU, ASEAN, WTO)
  ← 23.02.01
23.02.14 Treaties and international law
  ← 23.02.13
23.02.15 Citizenship and civic participation
  ← 23.02.01

Comparative by design. Unit 23.02.05 (legislature) covers US Congress, UK Parliament, German Bundestag, Indian Parliament — not just one model. Same for every structural unit.

6.3 Geography (23.03)

23.03.01 Maps and map projections
23.03.02 Latitude, longitude, and coordinate systems
  ← 23.03.01
23.03.03 Continents and oceans
23.03.04 Landforms (mountains, rivers, deserts, plains, coasts)
23.03.05 Climate zones and biomes
23.03.06 Population distribution and density
23.03.07 Urbanization and settlement
23.03.08 Natural resources and their distribution
  ← 23.03.04, 23.03.05
23.03.09 Cultural geography (language families, religion, ethnicity)
23.03.10 Political geography (borders, territories, disputed regions)
23.03.11 Human migration
  ← 23.03.06, 23.03.09
23.03.12 Environmental geography (sustainability, climate change)
  ← 23.03.05, 23.03.08

7. Essays

Essays live in site/src/content/ collections, not in content/ unit files.

7.1 History essays (23.essays)

Multi-perspective synthesis. Not "here's what happened." Instead: "here's what multiple historians argue happened, and here's why they disagree."

Candidates (not all produced immediately):

  1. "How do we know what happened? Sources, bias, and historiography"
  2. "Why did Rome fall? Five historians, five answers"
  3. "The Silk Road: trade route or cultural exchange network?"
  4. "Who started the Industrial Revolution, and who paid for it?"
  5. "Colonialism: extractive economy, civilizing mission, or both?"
  6. "How the printing press changed who got to tell history"
  7. "Oral traditions vs written records — what counts as a source?"
  8. "Revolutions that succeeded and revolutions that didn't"
  9. "How different groups experienced the same war"
  10. "The nation-state: invention, natural category, or trap?"
  11. "Why empires fall — and whether that's even the right question"
  12. "How disease shaped history more than any general"
  13. "Was the 20th century the most violent in history?"
  14. "Decolonization: what happened, what didn't, what's still happening"
  15. "The Cold War from three continents"

7.2 Literature reading guides (22.essays)

Not "here's what it means." Instead: "Here are things to notice. Here are questions to ask. Here's what critics have argued."

Candidates drawn from works commonly taught across English-speaking education:

  1. Homer — The Odyssey
  2. Sophocles — Oedipus Rex
  3. Dante — Inferno
  4. Shakespeare — Hamlet
  5. Shakespeare — Macbeth
  6. Austen — Pride and Prejudice
  7. Dickens — A Tale of Two Cities
  8. Shelley — Frankenstein
  9. Twain — Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
  10. Orwell — 1984
  11. Orwell — Animal Farm
  12. Lee — To Kill a Mockingbird
  13. Achebe — Things Fall Apart
  14. Golding — Lord of the Flies
  15. Bradbury — Fahrenheit 451
  16. Morrison — Beloved
  17. Atwood — The Handmaid's Tale
  18. Salinger — The Catcher in the Rye
  19. Fitzgerald — The Great Gatsby
  20. Hemingway — The Old Man and the Sea

7.3 Philosophy / normative civics expansion (20.essays)

Extends the existing 6 essays. Candidates:

  1. "What is knowledge, and how do we know we have it?"
  2. "What is justice?"
  3. "What rights should people have?"
  4. "Freedom vs security — is there a right balance?"
  5. "Is democracy the best system?"
  6. "What is consciousness?"
  7. "Can machines think?"
  8. "What is beauty?"
  9. "The trolley problem and why it won't go away"
  10. "What is the good life?"
  11. "Philosophy of science: how do we know science works?"
  12. "Philosophy of mathematics: do numbers exist?"

8. Unit counts

Section Tiered units Essays
22.01 Grammar 24 0
22.02 Writing 11 0
22.03 Literature techniques 15 0
22.essays Reading guides 0 20
23.01 Economics 30 0
23.02 Civics 15 0
23.03 Geography 12 0
23.essays History 0 15
20.essays Philosophy expansion 0 12
Total new 107 47

Combined with existing 699 units and 8 essays, total curriculum reaches ~806 units and ~55 essays.

9. Production order

Grammar first because it has the clearest prerequisite chain, is the most testable, and is the foundation for writing and literature.

Wave Content Units Est. time
1 Grammar (22.01) 24 2-3 weeks
2 Writing (22.02) 11 1-2 weeks
3 Literature techniques (22.03) 15 1-2 weeks
4 Economics (23.01) 30 2-3 weeks
5 Civics (23.02) 15 1-2 weeks
6 Geography (23.03) 12 1 week
Ongoing Essays (history, guides, philosophy) — parallel

Waves 1-3 are sequential (each builds on the last). Waves 4-6 are independent of each other and can run parallel with Waves 1-3. Essays can be written at any time.

10. Cross-domain hooks

New sections hook into existing STEM sections:

  • Economics (23.01) → Math (00.03 linear equations, 00.05 exponentials)
  • Geography (23.03) → Biology (17-19 biome/ecology units)
  • Literature techniques (22.03) → Philosophy (20, aesthetics, meaning)
  • History essays (23.essays) → Physics (history of science), Biology (history of medicine)
  • Civics (23.02) → Economics (23.01, fiscal/monetary policy)
  • Grammar (22.01) → Math (00.01, formal systems, set theory — structural parallels)

These hooks use the existing hooks_out mechanism from BIBLE_EXPANSION_PLAN.md.

11. What's locked vs open

Locked

  • Seven-domain scope: Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Language, World, Philosophy
  • Section numbering: 22 (Language), 23 (World), 20 expanded (Philosophy)
  • Neutrality principles (section 2)
  • Unit spec applies to all tiered units (22.01-22.03, 23.01-23.03)
  • Essay format applies to all essay content
  • No Lean in new sections (lean_status: none everywhere)
  • Comparative, not nation-specific (civics, economics, geography)
  • History is essay-only, not tiered units

Open

  • Specific essay list (candidates in section 7, not all produced immediately)
  • Literature reading guide list (expands over time)
  • K-8 math extension (separate from this plan, extends section 00)
  • Site infrastructure changes (separate from this plan)
  • Self-tracking UX (separate from this plan)

12. Decision log

Date Decision Rationale
2026-05-20 Three new domains: Language, World, Philosophy expansion Replaces 5-6 separate sections with clean nav items
2026-05-20 Plain English names, not classical Visitors understand "Language" and "World" instantly; classical names are insider language
2026-05-20 History as essays, not units History is interpretation, not fact; essay model is honest about this
2026-05-20 Comparative civics, not nation-specific Avoids provincial bias; teaches how systems work, not one system
2026-05-20 Economics presents multiple schools No single economic model is truth; present models as models
2026-05-20 Grammar is the first production wave Clearest prerequisite chain, most testable, foundation for writing/literature

This plan is the canonical reference for the K-12 expansion. When uncertain, check here first.