Discrete Transition Expectation (DTE): A Structural Boundary Instrument

This document is a closed, descriptive structural boundary instrument within the Irwin Canonical Corpus. It does not propose theory, explanation, evidence, or application. It does not resolve disputes, instruct action, or assert interpretive authority. Its sole function is to identify and constrain a recurring structural expectation—commonly expressed as a demand for discrete transitional intermediaries (“missing links”)—that produces interpretive distortion when imposed upon systems characterised by continuous variation. This instrument is non-resolutive by design.