Standard Single-Panel Inscrutability Index (SPII-2)

The Standard Single-Panel Inscrutability Index measures how effectively a panel sustains interpretive density, semantic slippage, and ontological unease while resisting total resolution. Each category is scored from 0 (not at all) to 10 (maximally inscrutable); the weighted sum is expressed out of 100.

The six standard dimensions are Ontological Uncertainty, Caption–Image Displacement, Residual Nonresolution, Pragmatic Polysemy, Intertextual Dependency, and Narrative Excess. Version 1 (WP43) employed panel-specific variables including Domestic Norm Deflection; standardization at WP44 fixed the dimensions so that scores could be compared across the canon. Panel-specific supplementary metrics (see the Metrics index) remain permitted, encouraged, and largely uncontrolled.

The Institute's standing methodological note applies to all published scores: expression to one decimal place implies the existence of equipment.