Minimum Description Length (MDL)

This wiki entry defines a term used across VSAVM and explains why it matters in the architecture.

The diagram has a transparent background and highlights the operational meaning of the term inside VSAVM.

Related wiki pages: VM, event stream, VSA, bounded closure, consistency contract.

Definition

MDL is a model selection principle that prefers hypotheses minimizing combined description length of model plus data given model. It formalizes the intuition that good structure compresses.

Role in VSAVM

VSAVM uses MDL as pressure for discovering and consolidating compact executable programs. If a reasoning move compresses repeated patterns, it becomes a candidate for macro promotion.

Mechanics and implications

MDL acts as a complexity guardrail. Without it, the system may proliferate brittle rules that fit locally but explode branching or create contradictions elsewhere. Combined with closure checks, MDL helps keep the program library stable and reusable.

Further reading

The MDL literature connects compression and inference. VSAVM borrows the principle to prioritize programmatic explanations that are both short and consistent under closure.

References

Minimum description length (Wikipedia) The MDL Book (Grünwald) Occam's razor (Wikipedia)