HeartQuest

HeartQuest is the historical inquiry from which portions of Empathy Systems Theory and early HEART work developed. It is research lineage, not a current standards authority, conformity program, or proof that its theories are correct.

The originating question

The program began by asking how AI systems participate in emotionally consequential exchange and what protections are needed when generated empathic cues are not equivalent to human experience or reciprocal care.

That inquiry produced theories, research methods, field studies, and early governance architecture. The vNext refoundation now keeps those outputs in their proper classes:

HeartQuest lineage	Current disposition
Empathy Systems Theory and its constructs	Developing research maintained by Empathy Ethicist, with separate evidence and claim boundaries.
MAP-States, RCTA/BGF, GTE, Behavioral Oracle, and forensic approaches	Conditional methods or research objects governed through the Method Portfolio.
Governance principles and requirements	Current Seven Axioms, HEART Standard v2.0, and Profiles.
Professional judgment	The separate five-document Guardian suite, used only where irreducible judgment remains.
Formal conformity and credentials	Separate Scheme, HVC, and Registry specifications with operational gates.

What changed

Early HEART presented a six-layer stack and domain certification tracks. That architecture is preserved in HEART Standard v1.8 as history. Current HEART does not make MAP-States, Behavioral Oracle, BGF, GTE, Guardian assessment, or a credential universally mandatory.

HeartQuest remains useful for understanding why these questions arose and how the architecture evolved. Current authority must be determined from the active canon, not inferred from this lineage page.