This paper introduces and operationalizes the concept of Hierarchical Informational Immunity (HII) — an emergent property of complex hierarchical systems manifested in the formation of mechanisms that restrict the spread of meta-knowledge (holistic information about the system) from higher to lower levels of the hierarchy. HII is not reducible to censorship or propaganda; its basic mechanisms can operate automatically. A three-part typology is proposed: · Natural (emergent) — arises from complexity and cognitive limitations (a cell does not know about the organism, an engineer does not know the whole device architecture) ; · Formalized (institutional) — embedded in regulations (state secrets, "need-to-know") ; · Manipulative (ideological) — based on implanting simplified worldviews (propaganda, advertising, post-truth). For quantitative description, a system of measurable parameters is developed, including state parameters (volume of meta-knowledge Vᵢ in Semantic Quanta SQ, information asymmetry coefficient KIA, meta-understanding index Mᵢ, formal filter density pF, transmission latency τₗat, narrative stability index IN) and process parameters (speeds of suppression, formalization, diffusion, immunity erosion, and response time). An integrated HII tension index (SHII = KIA · (Mₜop/Mbottom) · IN / (τₗat/t₀) ) is proposed for cross-system comparisons. HII appears not as a random side effect of hierarchical organization, but as its systemic, reproducible, and necessary attribute. The paper lays the foundations for a quantitative theory of informational barriers in sociotechnical, biological, and organizational systems.
Alexander Yourievitch Kotelnikov (Wed,) studied this question.