Natural Information as the First Fundamental Principle of Reality

This short conceptual preprint clarifies the ontological status of Natural Information (NI) within the broader NI framework. While the initial monograph presented NI as a “third fundamental element” alongside matter and energy, further analysis shows that NI cannot be co-equal with them. NI functions as the first and enabling principle that makes the existence of matter, energy, structure, and process possible. The article distinguishes between the epistemic level of current scientific investigation—where NI appears as an additional category—and the deeper ontological level, where NI serves as the foundational condition for all physical and biological phenomena.