Nodal Existence Theory: Structural Purpose in a Self-Processing Universe

This paper introduces Nodal Existence Theory, a philosophical framework proposing that human purpose is a structural property of the physical universe rather than a transcendent assignment or a subjective construction. Drawing on thermodynamic cosmology, pancomputationalism, and Integrated Information Theory, the framework argues that the human being is a functioning node within a self-processing, self-organizing universe whose existence constitutes a structural function the system requires. The framework is developed through four foundational pillars and situates itself within and against the existing philosophical literature on purpose, existentialism, and theological tradition.