The Moura Fundamental Principle of Intelligence (FPI) and the CAMAF Axiomatic Framework: A Formal Epistemology for Information Integrity

This work presents version 1. 2. 0 of the Moura Fundamental Principle of Intelligence (FPI), formulated as a structural and falsifiable postulate specifying a necessary condition associated with systems that exhibit intelligence. Rather than defining intelligence or relying on behavioral or domain-specific criteria, the FPI constrains what must be structurally present whenever intelligence is observed. The principle states that any system exhibiting intelligence necessarily involves the interaction of constructive (𝒞) and decompositional (𝒟) processes, which may operate recursively across multiple levels of organization. This formulation is domain-independent and substrate-agnostic, allowing application to biological, artificial, and hybrid systems. The framework introduces formally defined structural dimensions for analysis, including recursion depth (𝓡d), abstraction levels (𝓐ₗ), and decompositional integrity (𝓘D), together with an observability factor (𝓞ₒbs) and a simulation index (S). These elements enable systematic and reproducible evaluation of structural properties across heterogeneous systems without relying on performance-based or anthropocentric definitions. An explicit operational definition of decompositional integrity is provided, based on reconstruction consistency under domain-dependent distance functions. This establishes a measurable criterion for evaluating the structural coupling between construction and decomposition processes. The FPI explicitly separates necessary from sufficient conditions, avoiding classification claims while providing a minimal structural constraint associated with intelligence-compatible signatures. The framework further defines measurement protocols and aggregation mechanisms that support empirical validation, comparative analysis, and falsifiability. The principle is conceptually independent from epistemological evaluation frameworks, while remaining operationally compatible with them. In particular, it distinguishes structural capacity from epistemic reliability, allowing the analysis of systems that may exhibit high generative capability while maintaining limited decompositional transparency. As a structural framework, the FPI supports a shift from signal- or behavior-based approaches toward the detection of intelligence through structural dynamics. This perspective has potential implications for exploratory contexts such as the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), where identifying structurally complex and recursively organized patterns may complement existing detection strategies focused on signal regularity or intentional encoding. At its current stage, the FPI should be understood as a formally defined and falsifiable structural hypothesis. Its validity as a general structural condition associated with intelligence remains an open empirical question, inviting systematic testing, refinement, and potential refutation.