A governed statement that attributes a specific Proposition to a specific Agent under specific conditions, with provenance and optional evidence.
semantic_id: wsf:Assertion
preferred_name: Assertion
aliases: [Semantic Assertion, Claim]
status: Normative
version: 1.0.0
classification: Tier 1 (Foundational)
parent: wsf:Entity
authority: WSFAn Assertion is a governed statement that attributes a specific Proposition to a specific Agent under specific conditions, with provenance and optional evidence.
An Assertion is NOT:
- A Proposition (the proposition is what is asserted);
- A truth claim (assertions may be false);
- A belief (beliefs are mental; assertions are social);
- An unverified statement.
An Assertion IS:
- The act of claiming a proposition;
- Attributed to an agent;
- Made in a context;
- Tracked through lifecycle states;
- Supported by evidence (where applicable);
- Distinct from truth.
Assertion is foundational because:
- Semantic claims are assertions : every semantic claim is an assertion;
- Provenance requires assertions : provenance tracks assertions;
- Evidence supports assertions : evidence is attached to assertions;
- Validation operates on assertions : assertions can be validated;
- Trust is assessed on assertions : trust is per-assertion;
- Conflicts are detected between assertions : multiple assertions can be compared.
Without Assertion, the architecture cannot attribute, validate, or trust semantic claims.
The basic pattern (per ADR-WSF-12, ADR-WSF-22):
Subject ──Relationship──► Object
Extended with context:
Subject ──Relationship──► Object
│ │ │
│ │ └─ Object reference
│ └─ Relationship reference
└─ Subject reference
Context: where the assertion applies
Time: when the assertion holds
Evidence: what supports it
Provenance: who, when, how
- assertion:
# Required
semantic_id: wsf-assertion:<id>
subject: <Entity or Concept reference>
relationship: <Relationship reference>
object: <Entity or Concept reference>
# Optional qualifiers
context: <Context reference>
time:
valid_from: ISO timestamp
valid_until: ISO timestamp or open-ended
asserted_at: ISO timestamp
conditions:
- <condition under which the assertion holds>
evidence:
- <evidence item>
# Governance
status: Proposed | Active | Confirmed | Disputed | Rejected | Expired | Superseded | Withdrawn
version: Semantic version
authority: Governance authority
# Provenance (required)
provenance:
source: <source>
asserted_by: <agent>
asserted_at: <timestamp>
authority: <authority>
method: <method>
# Trust (optional)
trust:
level: High | Medium | Low | Unknown
basis: How trust was assessed
created_at: ISO timestamp
last_modified: ISO timestampPer ADR-WSF-12 and ADR-WSF-22:
Proposed → Active → Confirmed | Disputed | Rejected | Expired | Superseded | Withdrawn
| State | Meaning | Governance |
|---|---|---|
| Proposed | Newly asserted | Initial state ; not yet confirmed |
| Active | Currently in force | Valid in current context |
| Confirmed | Independently verified | Has confirming evidence |
| Disputed | Contested | Has contradicting evidence |
| Rejected | Determined invalid | Has rejecting evidence |
| Expired | Past temporal validity | Validity period ended |
| Superseded | Replaced | Newer assertion exists |
| Withdrawn | Source retracts | Source withdrew |
- assertion:
semantic_id: wsf-assertion:OTCHERE-OrderFulfillment-001
subject: wsf-ex:OTCHERE-Inc
relationship: wsf-rel:possesses
object: wsf-cap:OTCHERE-OrderFulfillment
context: wsf-ctx:enterprise
time:
valid_from: 2026-08-29
valid_until: open-ended
evidence:
- Architecture Assessment 2026
- 10 years operational records
provenance:
source: OTCHERE Architecture Assessment 2026
asserted_by: Kwesi
asserted_at: 2026-08-29
authority: OTCHERE Inc Architecture Team
trust:
level: High
basis: 10 years operational evidence
status: Active- assertion:
semantic_id: wsf-assertion:Kwesi-EnterpriseArchitect-001
subject: wsf-ex:Kwesi
relationship: wsf-rel:assumes-role
object: wsf-role:EnterpriseArchitect
context: wsf-ctx:OTCHERE-Inc
time:
valid_from: 2020-01-01
valid_until: open-ended
evidence:
- HR records
- Architecture team membership
provenance:
source: OTCHERE HR Department
asserted_by: OTCHERE HR Department
asserted_at: 2026-08-29
authority: OTCHERE Inc HR
trust:
level: High
status: Active- assertion:
semantic_id: wsf-assertion:Order12345-Payment-001
subject: wsf-ex:Order-12345
relationship: wsf-rel:has-event
object: wsf-event:Payment-Received-12345
context: wsf-ctx:OrderProcessing
time:
occurred_at: 2026-08-29T10:15:00Z
evidence:
- Payment gateway log
- Bank statement
provenance:
source: OTCHERE Payment Gateway
asserted_by: OTCHERE Payment Gateway
asserted_at: 2026-08-29T10:16:00Z
authority: OTCHERE Inc Finance
trust:
level: High
status: Active| Aspect | Assertion | Proposition |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Act of claiming | Content of claim |
| Example | Kwesi's claim about OTCHERE | "OTCHERE has Order Fulfillment" |
| Truth | Distinct from truth | Has truth value |
| Identity | Each assertion unique | Same proposition can be asserted multiple times |
| Attribution | Attributed to agent | Not attributed |
Proposition is the content; Assertion is the act of attributing it.
Assertions SHALL be validated for:
- Structural validation: Required fields present.
- Identity validation: All references resolve.
- Domain/Range validation: Subject/object types match relationship.
- Context validation: Context exists and is applicable.
- Temporal validation: Time values are valid.
- Evidence validation: At least one evidence item (for Normative).
- Provenance validation: Source, asserted_by, authority recorded.
Multiple agents may assert the same proposition:
- multi_party_assertion:
proposition: wsf-prop:OTCHERE-Has-OrderFulfillment
assertions:
- asserted_by: Kwesi
asserted_at: 2026-08-29
trust: High
- asserted_by: OTCHERE Inc Board
asserted_at: 2026-08-30
trust: High
consensus: Agreement (both assert the same proposition)Disagreement may also be tracked:
- multi_party_assertion:
proposition: wsf-prop:OTCHERE-Has-Capability-X
assertions:
- asserted_by: Kwesi
assertion_value: true
- asserted_by: External Auditor
assertion_value: false
consensus: DisagreementWhen two assertions conflict:
Assertion A: OTCHERE possesses X (asserted by Kwesi)
Assertion B: OTCHERE does NOT possess X (asserted by External Auditor)
↓
Conflict detected
↓
Resolution paths:
- Different contexts (no conflict)
- Different times (no conflict)
- Different definitions (resolve definition)
- Genuine disagreement (mark disputed)
- Error (correct or withdraw)
Assertions MAY be derived from other assertions:
- assertion_X:
derived_from:
- assertion_A
- assertion_B
derived_using:
rule: <derivation rule>
derivation_method: <method used>Derivation chains preserve provenance.
Assertions MAY be withdrawn:
- assertion_withdrawal:
assertion: wsf-assertion:<id>
withdrawn_by: <agent>
withdrawn_at: <timestamp>
reason: <reason>
superseding_assertion: <new assertion if any>Withdrawn assertions are preserved for history.
- Proposition : What is asserted
- Concept : Concepts participate in assertions
- Entity : Things that participate in assertions
- Relationship : How things connect in assertions
- Context : Where assertions apply
- ADR-WSF-05 : Semantic Assertion
- ADR-WSF-06 : Evidence & Provenance
- ADR-WSF-12 : Semantic Assertion Model
- ADR-WSF-22 : Assertion and Provenance Model
- Canonical semantic asset: wsf/concepts/assertion.md