The Principle of Manifestation – The Architectural Plan of Reality A Synthesis of Preformationism and Epigenesis for a Hierarchical Ontology (Based on the Concept of "Seven Forms of Matter", 7FM)

This article proposes a philosophical principle that could serve as a “starting point” for a contemporary philosophy of science and reality. The principle of manifestation states that the basic types of material organization (e.g., non‑living physical matter and living matter) are ontologically pre‑given. Evolution merely “manifests” them when the necessary complexity is achieved. Variations within each type evolve (Darwinian mechanisms), but the type itself does not arise — it is actualized. This distinction resolves the long‑standing contradiction between the Platonic view of the pre‑existence of forms and modern evolutionary knowledge. The article draws on a rich historical‑philosophical tradition (Aristotle, Leibniz, Kant, Waddington) and on contemporary empirical research. CAP formalism (Context‑driven Actualization of Potential) treats evolution as the actualization of pre‑existing potential, which almost literally coincides with the principle of manifestation. Michael Levin’s experiments (“Form Without Blueprint”) show that biological systems restore complex forms not fully encoded in the genome — form manifests itself rather than being derived from a lower level. The principle has concrete implications for physics (explaining the fine‑tuning of constants), biology (explaining convergent evolution), the human and social sciences (the independent emergence of similar institutions and mathematical structures), psychology (the irreducibility of consciousness to neurobiology), and the philosophy of science (a common language for interdisciplinary dialogue). The principle of manifestation is not a “discovery” but a synthesis and reformulation of long‑standing intuitions into an operational framework compatible with evolutionary science and supported by contemporary empirical data. It can serve as a bridge between physics, biology, the human sciences, and philosophy. --