docs: 📝 explain why we call it "check", not "validate"

docs/design/architecture.qmd

@@ -39,6 +39,68 @@ things consistent. However, we also introduce some new terms and
 concepts specific to `check-datapackage`. The main objects and actions
 used throughout the package can be found in the tables below.
 
+### "Check" (vs "validate")
+
+If you have ever searched for tools that check something against a
+specification, you'll often see the word "validate". And you might
+notice that we don't use the word "validate" in our package and
+documentation. This is intentional.
+
+Although the word is ubiquitous in programming, it's often used loosely
+and in ways that deviate from its actual meaning. Tools that describe
+themselves as "validating" something often, in practice, *verify* that
+something matches a defined expectation or specification. There are many
+websites and articles comparing the difference between validate and
+verify. These two verbs often are done during quality control or
+assurance stages of building products and after are simplified to "V&V".
+For a good overview, see the Wikipedia on this topic in
+[general](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verification_and_validation) and
+on
+[software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_verification_and_validation)
+specifically.
+
+To "validate" is to assess the overlap between a human need and a
+product that solves that need. It answers the question "have we selected
+the correct solution to solving the actual problem"? To "verify" is to
+ensure that the solution is being built correctly and with high quality,
+based on best practices, regulations, and specifications. It answers the
+question "are we developing the solution correctly"? An easy way to tell
+them apart is that you can often make the verification process
+automatic, while you often need to have extensive manual evaluation,
+judgment, and review for the validation process.
+
+Sometimes, these two overlap, but often they don't. For example, if you
+are involved in creating a specification that accurately describes
+something that will solve a need you have, then you are both validating
+and verifying the product that you will build. However, if someone else
+takes your specification to help them build their own product and they
+don't seek our extensive validation from the humans who will use that
+product, they are now likely verifying their product, rather than
+validating it.
+
+For many generic software tools that do checks, they often use the word
+"validate". For example, in the
+[`frictionless`](https://pypi.org/project/frictionless/) package, they
+have a command called
+["validate"](https://framework.frictionlessdata.io/docs/guides/validating-data.html).
+Even widely used tools like
+[Pydantic](https://docs.pydantic.dev/latest/) use the word "validate".
+However, without knowing the human context, what they are most likely
+doing is verifying that something matches some other specification or
+expectation. Most of these software tool that "validate" can't know if
+they are truly "validating" something since only human judgement and
+review can answer that. We can, however, be sure that we're verifying or
+checking something.
+
+Unfortunately, "verify" and "validate" are often used interchangeably
+and are difficult to distinguish between their two meanings. This may be
+due to the similarity in their spelling and pronunciation. For that
+reason, we decided to use neither word. Instead we wanted to use a more
+common word, that accurately reflects what we want this package to do
+while also being generic enough to encompass different uses. So we went
+with "check", since we "check" that the metadata is correct (based on
+the specification).
+
 ### Objects
 
 | Object | Description |
@@ -78,8 +140,8 @@ Data Package standard.
 `check-datapackage` receives the definitions of the Data Package
 descriptor's structure---including properties that [must or
 should](https://datapackage.org/standard/data-package/#language) be
-included and their formats---from the Data Package standard (version 2). The
-standard provides this information through versioned JSON Schema
+included and their formats---from the Data Package standard (version 2).
+The standard provides this information through versioned JSON Schema
 profiles that define required properties and textual descriptions that
 outline compliance.