1. The problem is to evaluate the expression $(-12) + 8$. 2. This is a simple addition problem involving negative and positive integers. 3. The rule for adding integers is: when adding a negative and a positive number, subtract the smaller absolute value from the larger absolute value and take the sign of the number with the larger absolute value. 4. Calculate the absolute values: $|{-12}| = 12$ and $|8| = 8$. 5. Subtract the smaller absolute value from the larger: $12 - 8 = 4$. 6. Since $12$ is larger and corresponds to the negative number, the result is $-4$. 7. Therefore, $(-12) + 8 = -4$.