A boundary theory of
recursive self-justification
Formal theorems, derived propositions, behavioral benchmarks, and open falsification criteria
“Global internal self-certification is incomplete for sufficiently expressive systems”
Incomplete — not impossible. Partial and local self-assessment remain possible. What is blocked is totality.
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What is Bounded Systems Theory?
BST organizes the classical limitative results of Gödel, Turing, Chaitin, and Tarski under a structural observation: in each case, the system cannot fully determine its own boundary conditions from within. BST extends this observation to operative information systems via a set of working assumptions. The core propositions are derived from classical results, not from BST's own axioms.
BST is a synthesis built on established results — it does not replace them. The extension to operative systems is a derived proposition, not a new proof. Whether the extension holds depends on whether BST's working assumptions correctly model the target domain.
What BST does NOT claim:
- • That self-grounding is "impossible" — only incomplete/non-total
- • That thermodynamics proves R — Landauer gives cost, not ontology
- • That AI convergence is validation — it is probe evidence, not proof
- • That R* is God or any entity — it is a conditional structural placeholder
- • That AGI/ASI is formally impossible — boundedness is not impossibility
Five Layers of Boundedness
BST spans five layers — from formal theorems to empirical probes. D-LAYER and S-LAYER are proposed extensions. See the Extensions tab for details.
4
Formal Theorems
Gödel II, Turing, Chaitin, Tarski
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5
Boundedness Layers
formal, dynamic, spectral, physical, empirical
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4
Non-supporting Results
honestly reported, not cherry-picked
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