Five Axioms

Axiom I

Continuation is not guaranteed.

A system may exist without being admissible to continue. Continuation requires structural conditions to be met — it is not a default, a right, or an assumption. Failure to continue is not malfunction; it is the boundary of admissibility becoming visible.

Derived from: Paper 0, Paper V

Axiom II

Control does not create admissibility.

No amount of intervention, optimization, or authority can make an inadmissible trajectory admissible. Admissibility is a structural property governed by constraint geometry, not by intent, resource, or governance action.

Derived from: Paper II, Paper IV

Axiom III

Refusal is structural, not ethical.

When a system refuses continuation, the refusal originates from constraint geometry — not from judgment, preference, or values. Structural refusal precedes any interpretive framework imposed on it.

Derived from: Paper V, Paper III

Axiom IV

Optimization hides limits.

Optimization-driven systems tend to obscure the structural boundaries that constrain them. Apparent efficiency may mask proximity to inadmissible regions, making failure appear sudden when it was structurally inevitable.

Derived from: Paper I, Paper V

Axiom V

Governance recognizes limits.

Governance that is structurally sound begins by recognizing what cannot be made admissible — not by attempting to extend admissibility through force, policy, or scale. Recognition of limits is the precondition for any coherent governance posture.

Derived from: Paper 0, Paper IV