RFC-0001: The Quadrant — A Two-Axis Model of Human Categorization
Abstract
This document introduces The Quadrant — a novel two-axis model for categorizing all humans. The Quadrant is constructed from two orthogonal dimensions: effort and moral alignment. Each axis is expressed through colloquial archetypes that make the framework accessible while preserving analytical rigor. The intended outcome is to provide individuals with a method of social self-location, stripped of implicit hierarchies, enabling honest introspection.
1. Introduction
This RFC proposes that every human, without exception, can be plotted within The Quadrant. By reducing behavior and character to two fundamental dimensions, the framework offers a simple but powerful diagnostic tool. Unlike hierarchical or linear personality models, The Quadrant emphasizes balance, extremes, and the ambiguity of occupying overlapping spaces.
2. Axes Definitions
2.1 X-Axis: Effort
Range: Do-Nothing Ho ⟶ Try-Hard Blob
This axis charts an individual’s relationship to action. It measures whether energy is withheld, minimized, or maximized in pursuit of shaping the surrounding world.
2.2 Y-Axis: Moral Alignment
Range: Darling Doll ⟶ Skeeving Scoundrel
This axis charts an individual’s relationship to purity. It evaluates whether one embodies innocence, protection, and idealization, or corruption, troublemaking, and moral degradation.
3. Node Definitions
3.1 Do-Nothing Ho
The Do-Nothing Ho performs only the bare minimum to persist. At its purest, this node represents inertia: fulfilling basic survival needs and nothing more. Inanimate objects may be categorized here, as they are “all matter, no energy.”
3.2 Try-Hard Blob
The Try-Hard Blob invests energy into everything. Scrambling to influence, rearrange, and reform their environment, they embody ceaseless activity. This effort often leads to exhaustion and diminishing returns, but the impulse toward action is irrepressible.
3.3 Darling Doll
The Darling Doll is defined by beauty and purity. At the extreme, they lack lived experience entirely, since experience itself tarnishes purity. As such, they occupy the paradoxical position of being both human and object — adored, protected, and suspended from contamination.
3.4 Skeeving Scoundrel
The Skeeving Scoundrel is reliably located at the epicenter of chaos. In their Try-Hard manifestation, they actively spread corruption; in their passive state, they exude an aura of depravity that stains others. At the extreme, they drag entire networks into moral collapse.
4. Plotting Yourself
Individuals are encouraged to locate themselves within The Quadrant by reflecting on their tendencies toward action and purity. The model assumes that most humans will not exist at the absolute extremes (e.g., pure objecthood, boundless energy, literal toyhood, or apocalyptic exception). Instead, the majority will find themselves distributed along gradients, with their placement fluctuating depending on context and lived experience.
Type your initials and click the quadrant to place yourself:
5. Conclusion
The Quadrant does not assign value, rank, or destiny. It functions as a descriptive tool, clarifying the archetypal space one occupies relative to effort and morality. Through its simplicity, it invites humor, critique, and raw honesty — positioning itself as both a mirror and a map.
Appendix A: Example Applications
- Introspection: An individual may use The Quadrant to diagnose their patterns of energy expenditure and moral tendency.
- Sociology: Communities may map aggregate distributions of Quadrant positions to understand cultural tendencies.
- Art & Media: Archetypes can inform character design, narrative analysis, or satire.
Irrelevant Comments