Failure-Preserving Counterfactual Reconstruction: A Minimal Protocol for Engineering Research

This preprint introduces Failure-Preserving Counterfactual Reconstruction (FPCR), a conceptual engineering research methodology developed within the "Thinking About Thinking: Regenerative Theory" research project. The proposed framework explores alternative engineering designs by systematically revising initial assumptions while preserving research objectives, evaluation constraints, and unsuccessful experimental records. FPCR combines counterfactual reasoning, structured design exploration, independent verification criteria, and failure-preserving evidence tracking. This initial publication (v0.1) establishes the theoretical framework, minimal formal model, and proposed evaluation protocol. It does not claim experimental validation or demonstrated performance improvements. Author: jeongchoonlee Affiliation: Independent Researcher Contact: [email protected] Copyright © 2026 jeongchoonlee. All copyright remains with the author. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Modified or translated versions may not be distributed under this license without separate permission, subject to applicable legal exceptions. Patent and trademark rights are not granted.