DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15760501
title: Minimal Core Constants in RCFT/ULRC

description: Abstract

 

This paper presents a universal and operational framework for quantifying stability, memory, and identity in physical, biological, and symbolic systems, formulated through the Unified Language of Recursive Collapse (ULRC/RCFT). The approach centers on four dimensionless, empirically defined invariants—Symbolic Drift (δΨ), Recursive Fidelity (F), Collapse Entropy (S), and Reentry Delay (τR)—that together form a minimal yet complete set of criteria for diagnosing collapse dynamics and persistence across diverse domains.

 

By rescaling observable quantities into normalized, unit-free form, the protocol enables direct, meaningful comparisons between systems as varied as temperature fields, quantum states, biological signals, and symbolic processes. Each invariant is anchored to standard physical units (SI or Planck), ensuring results are both reproducible and falsifiable.

 

A central contribution is the formalization of a universal “survival law” that translates the persistence of identity from philosophical speculation into a practical, testable condition. Systems that maintain high fidelity, low drift, limited entropy, and bounded reentry time satisfy this empirical criterion for survival; those that do not are at risk of collapse.

 

This framework does not ignore its own limitations. It calls attention to the need for transparent normalization, careful calibration, and honest reporting of reference values. Rather than concealing complexity behind jargon, the protocol emphasizes clarity, practical applicability, and scientific responsibility.

 

By reducing the analysis of persistence and transformation to a handful of universal, empirically validated measures, this work provides a rigorous foundation for cross-domain diagnostics. It offers a clear and testable language for understanding stability and change, unifying approaches from physics and biology to cognition and information theory.
description:  1. Measurement as Event, Not Passive Recording

In this framework, every act of measurement is a dynamic event—an instance of collapse—forcing the system to reveal its state in a normalized, comparable language. This normalization is not a technical detail, but a unifying act that brings diverse systems into a shared analytical space.

 

 2. Universality through Reduction and Constraint

Rather than seeking universality through abstraction, the protocol insists on constraint. By limiting analysis to a few core invariants, it shows that fundamentally different systems can be compared and diagnosed using the same set of rules.

 

 3. Identity as Testable Process

Here, identity and survival are not assumed properties; they are defined by empirical tests. A system’s ability to maintain coherence and return to a prior state within set limits becomes the very definition of persistence—shifting identity from metaphysical status to operational reality.

 

 4. A Call for Transparency and Rigor

The protocol openly acknowledges the temptation to trivialize normalization or obscure methodological choices. It counters this by requiring transparent calibration, clear reporting of reference values, and an explicit rationale for all analytical choices.

 

 5. Memory as Dynamic Recurrence

Memory is reframed as a property of timing and recurrence, not static storage. The critical variable is how quickly and reliably a system can return to a previous state—a principle with implications from neuroscience to computation.

 

 6. Bridging Physical and Symbolic Domains

By applying the same core invariants to physical, biological, and symbolic systems, the work dissolves traditional boundaries. Symbolic and physical dynamics are treated as special cases of the same collapse logic.

 

 7. Commitment to Falsifiability

Finally, the protocol is designed for challenge and empirical testing, not theoretical closure. Its laws are only meaningful if they invite and withstand scrutiny across fields and contexts.