A Universal Algorithm of Rule Formation

Research in cosmology, neuroscience, computational learning, motor control, linguistics, and legal theory has independently converged on the same triadic structure: an input is registered against stabilized patterns, those patterns are applied or revised, and the outcome feeds back to shape future iterations. I argue that this convergence reflects a universal algorithm, formalized in this paper as the F‑R‑J model (Fact-Rule-Judgment), instantiated across domains from the Higgs field to constitutional law. Drawing on symmetry breaking, predictive coding, associative memory, motor programme theory, semiotics, and normative theory, I show that each level exhibits (i) triadic iterative closure, (ii) a follow mechanism reinforcing existing patterns, and (iii) a distinguishing mechanism that differentiates patterns under novel input. The model also requires a meta-regulatory level and forms a hierarchy in which higher-order normativity depends on the stabilization of lower-level regularities. This framework helps explain how rule-governed order emerges from a ruleless universe.