From Replication to Cognition: The Chisel-Construct Cycle of Life (5D-8D)

Full bilingual text and framework available at self-as-an-end.net — Framework reference: self-as-an-end.net/framework.html

This paper extends the Self-as-an-End theoretical framework from the law of causality (4D) to the law of cognition (8D), demonstrating four chisel-construct cycles: the law of replication (5D), the law of behavior (6D), the law of perception (7D), and the law of cognition (8D). Each layer follows the same unifying principle: negation operates within the accumulated transcendental foundation, and the only self-consistent result is that layer's construct. The paper establishes that "operating within jurisdiction" is not the same as "being reducible to," providing a structural critique of reductionism. The 8D endpoint — self-consciousness becoming aware of its own death — is identified as the dividing line between nature (1D-8D) and freedom (9D and above), precisely locating Kant's nature/freedom dichotomy within the framework.

Keywords

Self-as-an-End, chisel-construct cycle, replication, behavior, perception, cognition, reductionism, transcendental foundation, philosophy of biology, consciousness, death awareness, nature and freedom

Related Identifiers

• IsPartOf: Self-as-an-End Theory Series
• References: 10.5281/zenodo.18799132 (Dynamics as Fourth-Order Chisel)
• References: 10.5281/zenodo.18793538 (Physics as Third-Order Chisel)
• References: 10.5281/zenodo.18792945 (Mathematics paper)
• References: 10.5281/zenodo.18779382 (Philosophy as Subject-Activity)
• References: 10.5281/zenodo.18727327 (The Complete Self-as-an-End Framework)
• References: 10.5281/zenodo.18666645 (Internal Colonization and the Reconstruction of Subjecthood)
• References: 10.5281/zenodo.18528813 (Systems, Emergence, and the Conditions of Personhood)