Holding a proxy signal steady supports an inference only within the conditions that relate that signal to the property of interest.
A well-calibrated proxy can be useful; the point is to state its domain rather than reject indirect measurement.
Column temperature can indicate composition only with the relevant pressure, location and mixture relationship. Neither a stable signal nor a composition result alone establishes sensory quality.
Idea
Holding a proxy signal steady supports an inference only within the conditions that relate that signal to the property of interest.
Reasoning
Column temperature can indicate composition only with the relevant pressure, location and mixture relationship. Neither a stable signal nor a composition result alone establishes sensory quality.
Boundary
A well-calibrated proxy can be useful; the point is to state its domain rather than reject indirect measurement.
Evidence and connections
Original synthesis from the linked chapter review.
Full-volume corroboration and limits — 28 September 2026
Chapter 7, printed p.330 (PDF340), adds a concrete counterexample: a mini-plant remained compositionally unsteady after four days despite a constant temperature profile. This reinforces the distinction between a stable observable and a stable inferred state. Chapter 1 explains the conditional proxy relationship; chapter 7 supplies a different operating context, not independent whiskey sensory validation.
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