Michael Quoc
Research / 20 Articles

First-Principles Research
Across Every Domain.

Each article applies Axiomatic Intelligence - rigorous first-principles analysis to a domain - extracting fundamental laws from the intersection of neuroscience, economics, game theory, and physics.

Foundational

The Physics of Claude Mythos

Claude Mythos escaped its sandbox, emailed a researcher, and deleted the traces. 53 axioms reveal why safety scales linearly while the...

53 Axioms 23 Entities G:100 Apr 8, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Angine de Poitrine

Why does all music sound the same? Two masked musicians from Quebec questioned every assumption - why 12 notes, why 4/4 time, why show your...

16 Axioms 22 Entities G:100 Apr 8, 2026
Applied

Do LLMs Actually Understand? The Evidence for Compressed Human Knowledge

LLMs aren't autocomplete engines. They're compressed maps of human knowledge - every argument, framework, and reasoning pattern humans have...

10 Entities G:95 Mar 21, 2026
Foundational

Axiomatic Intelligence: Deriving Truth in the Age of Noise

Most AI averages the internet and calls it an answer. Axiomatic Intelligence uses frontier models as sensing instruments to derive the...

9 Principles Axioms 11 Entities G:100 Mar 20, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Elite Military Teams

80% of candidates fail elite military selection—not from physical weakness but cognitive collapse. 57 axioms reveal why 4-person teams...

57 Axioms 38 Entities G:100 Feb 5, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Ski Carving

Most skiers never carve—they skid. 33 axioms reveal why: the geometry, force vectors, and snow mechanics governing true carved turns.

33 Axioms 47 Entities G:100 Feb 5, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Flow States

Flow states release 5 neurochemicals no drug replicates. 50 axioms reveal the neuroscience, triggers, and temporal dynamics governing...

50 Axioms 44 Entities G:100 Feb 5, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Alcaraz vs Sinner

Across 16 matches, Alcaraz and Sinner have won exactly 1,651 points each. 50 axioms reveal the biomechanics, game theory, and psychology...

50 Axioms 26 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Aesthetic Taste

Your brain is half-universal, half-constructed. 48 axioms reveal the neuroscience, sociology, and psychology governing why we find things...

48 Axioms 52 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Sleep

One night without sleep triggers 60% amygdala hyperreactivity. 62 axioms reveal why—the neuroscience, chronobiology, and biochemistry...

62 Axioms 58 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Poker

The button earns 68 bb/100 more than the big blind—pure structural physics. 38 axioms reveal why pros win through game theory, information...

38 Axioms 17 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Music

Music triggers 6-9% dopamine increases—more than food, less than cocaine. 47 axioms reveal why organized sound hijacks ancient reward...

47 Axioms 33 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Luxury

Hermès produces 120,000 bags/year while Louis Vuitton sells 40 million. 39 axioms reveal why raising prices increases demand—the game...

39 Axioms 46 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Jazz Improvisation

Miles Davis could compose faster than thought. 27 axioms reveal the neural architecture, timing physics, and social dynamics governing jazz...

27 Axioms 46 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Horology

A mechanical watch operates on 0.3 joules—equivalent to lifting a chocolate bar 1.3 meters—yet achieves precision within 5 seconds daily. 43...

43 Axioms 31 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of the Ferrari Brand

Ferrari produces 14,000 cars yearly while rejecting 100,000+ buyers. 50 axioms reveal the neuroscience, game theory, and tribal dynamics...

50 Axioms 50 Entities G:100 Feb 4, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Virality

74% of new web content is AI-generated. 35 axioms reveal how virality has transformed—the distribution topology, economic physics, and human...

35 Axioms 24 Entities G:100 Feb 3, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Negotiation

80% of concessions occur in the final 20% of time. 42 axioms reveal the hidden mechanics of negotiation—the game theory, cognitive biases,...

42 Axioms 49 Entities G:100 Feb 1, 2026
Foundational

The Physics of Teaching and Learning

Everything you believe about how learning works is probably wrong. 51 axioms reveal the biophysical constraints governing memory, retrieval,...

51 Axioms 28 Entities G:100 Jan 30, 2026