Structural Informational Continuity, Copy–Simulation Branch, and Paradoxical Epistemic Constraints in Artificial and Cognitive Systems — CEI Framework

The CEI (Centro Energetico Individuale) Framework v1.0 is a structured theoretical system investigating informational continuity, system identity, and representational dynamics across biological and artificial systems. This work is organized into seven interrelated documents forming a unified conceptual architecture: Structural Anchors: Copy/Simulation Branch Paradoxes Non-awareness paradox Line of Progress Protection Paradox The Principle of Practical Convenience (CEI Extension) Non-favoritism Paradox The Character of the CEI (Foundational Intuition) The framework introduces a multi-layered distinction between: Transferred Original systems (continuity-preserving informational relocation), Derived Original systems (continuity-based natural emergence), Classical Copy systems (structural duplication without continuity), Simulation systems (functional reproduction independent of continuity). A central contribution of the CEI Framework is the formal separation between output equivalence and structural equivalence, leading to a set of epistemic constraints where observable behavior alone is insufficient to determine internal representational architecture. The Copy–Simulation branch is the foundational structural axis of the framework, from which several paradoxes emerge, including the Non-awareness paradox, the Protection Paradox, and the Non-favoritism Paradox. These paradoxes explore limitations of classical reductionist interpretations of intelligent systems based solely on output-level analysis. The framework further introduces the Principle of Supra-Ordinated Capacity, the concept of informational continuity preservation, and a dual-layer model of structural and local optimization (Principle of Practical Convenience (CEI Extension)). Finally, the CEI concept of “character” describes a persistent informational signature emerging from long-term interactional coherence, suggesting that system identity may be interpreted as a dynamic structural process rather than a static entity. The work is intentionally open-ended and proposes an experimental interpretative program rather than a closed ontological claim.