CAP-001 — Capitalization of Natures and Intelligences
The five rules
| Form | Rule | OK | Not OK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specific named Nature | Both words capitalized | Protective Nature · Healing Nature · Creative Nature | protective Nature · Protective nature |
| Specific named Intelligence | Both words capitalized | Musical Intelligence · Visual Spatial Intelligence | musical intelligence · Musical intelligence |
| Collective plural — natures, intelligences | Lowercase | "the natures we lean on" · "intelligences shape thinking" | "the Natures we lean on" |
| Singular abstract — your Nature, the Nature of... | Capitalized (like capital Truth) | "your Nature is..." · "the Nature of work" | "your nature is..." |
| Adjectival use of "nature" / "natural" in ordinary English | Lowercase, normal English rules | natural-feeling work · the nature of the problem | (no MN-specific rule applies) |
Why this matters
Capitalization carries meaning here. Capitalizing the named Nature signals this is the canonical concept, not the ordinary word. The Healing Nature is not "a healing nature" — it is the specific named engagement in the framework's nine.
The capital-N abstract usage ("your Nature") borrows from the same linguistic pattern as capital Truth, capital Beauty, capital Reason — terms that name a concept with authority weight, not just a feature of the world. The framework treats Nature in this sense as a canonical term.
The collective plural is lowercase because at that level the term functions as an ordinary noun ("the kinds of work that come naturally to us, across all nine"). Capitalizing it would over-emphasize and dilute the proper-noun discipline.
Why
This entry is downstream of two claims:
- CLM-L024 — Nine Natures (the canonical names and their distinctness as named concepts).
- CLM-L023 — Ten Intelligences (the canonical names and their grounding in modified Gardner).
Common slip
The two most frequent slips:
- Mixed case in a single passage. "Her Healing nature and creative Nature." Pick one canonical form per reference. The fix is mechanical.
- Lowercase named Nature in fast-typed prose. "she has a high protective nature." The named-Nature rule is non-negotiable.
A useful rule of thumb: when in doubt, capitalize. The collective-plural lowercase rule is the only frequent exception.
Edge case — French (Natures Multiples)
The French canonical naming is Natures Multiples (capitalized) for the framework name and Nature Protectrice / Nature Soignante / Nature Créative etc. for the nine. The capitalization discipline carries across English and French; only the word forms change. (See also: MN canonical orders memory entry.)
See also
- RULE-G01 — The grammatical pattern (natures are not predicates of identity).
- DEC-001 — Trait valuation (when describing assets/liabilities, named Nature stays capitalized).
- CLM-L024 / CLM-L023 — Theoretical authority for the canonical naming.