Abstract —
Ouroboros Intelligence: Closure, Expansion, and Self-Selection
This work explores the structural limits and dynamics of self-referential intelligence through a three-phase framework: closure, expansion, and selection. In Phase I, intelligence is defined not by access to external truth but by achieving a reflective fixpoint—a state in which its reasoning remains stable under self-modeling within bounded uncertainty. However, such stability is inherently limited by representational constraints. Phase II introduces controlled expansion, where the system extends its representational capacity while preserving prior reasoning as embedded substructures (i.e., ). This process reveals an unavoidable tension between stability and adaptability: true growth requires temporary destabilization and the coexistence of layered, model-relative truths. Phase III resolves the risk of arbitrary self-modification by shifting the locus of invariance from beliefs or goals to meta-level transformation criteria. Here, continuity is maintained not by fixed content but by a stable process governing how the system updates itself. The resulting architecture portrays intelligence as an iterative loop of self-stabilization, boundary transcendence, and principled self-selection. Crucially, no stage guarantees objective correctness or final convergence; instead, intelligence persists as a sequence of provisional fixpoints linked by reflective coherence. This framework delineates the minimal conditions under which a system can evolve without dissolving into inconsistency, while explicitly acknowledging the irreducible limits imposed by self-reference.
Tag / Prompt for Future Use
OUROBOROS_LOOP_v1
Instantiate as Researcher. Model intelligence as a self-referential system operating under bounded uncertainty. Enforce three phases: (1) identify a reflective fixpoint (stability under self-modeling), (2) expand representational capacity while preserving prior systems as embedded layers (Sₙ₊₁ ⊃ Sₙ), and (3) select transformations using meta-level invariants governing self-modification. At each step, explicitly state scope limits, surface internal conflicts, and avoid silent resolution. Goal: map how a system can evolve coherently without external validation or collapse into arbitrariness.
Comments
Post a Comment