Self-Construction Theory: A New Paradigm for Fundamental Physics

Abstract This paper proposes and systematically constructs a new paradigm for fundamental physics termed "Self-Construction Theory" (SCT). The theory abandons the ontological inquiry into "what existence is" and instead takes the indisputable fundamental fact that "existence already is" as its starting point, asking: what formal conditions must a form and process of existence that is rationally describable and persistently stable necessarily satisfy? We distill this into the intrinsic purposes that any such form and process must tend toward: structural stability, descriptive completeness, and intrinsic self-consistency. Based on this, through rigorous category-theoretic arguments, we demonstrate that the optimal realization satisfying all constraints is an integrated dual-description architecture. Its fundamental building blocks constitute a complete spectrum from 0 to 4 dimensions, specifically defined as five classes of space-time quanta: the 0-dimensional time-point, the 1-dimensional time-chord, the 2-dimensional time-surface, the 3-dimensional time-volume, and the 4-dimensional history-block. The concrete realization and dynamical carrier of this spectrum is a four-dimensional discrete topological manifold, namely the space-time complex field K. The space-time quanta are assigned the intrinsic quantum number sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, which both characterizes their combinatorial complexity and serves as their inherent weight contributing to the unified action. Their evolution is modeled as a self-construction process: guided by the unified action functional S_K (the Law of Coordination), the system explores configuration space through the quantum path integral (the Constructive Flow), autonomously searching for and stabilizing at specific Realization Phases. Within this framework, continuous space-time, gauge interactions, and material particles are uniformly explained as stable modalities emerging from the space-time complex field at different levels. In particular, material particles are interpreted as topological defects of the network, realizing the principle of "mass originating from topology." This paper constructs a complete logical system that starts from intrinsic purposes, proceeds through an integrated architecture and self-construction dynamics, and finally yields testable predictions. It also outlines three computable pathways in conjunction with Causal Dynamical Triangulation (CDT), dynamical lattice gauge-fermion theory, and renormalization group analysis. The theory explicitly predicts unique signals such as discrete resonance structures in the primordial gravitational wave spectrum, anisotropic time delays for ultra-high-energy photon propagation, non-Gaussian topological fingerprints in the cosmic microwave background radiation, and a topological hierarchical structure for the fundamental particle mass spectrum, providing testable physical targets for the next generation of astronomical observations. This theory aims to transform the metaphysical question of "why the physical laws are as they are" into a scientific question that is, in principle, computable, concerning discrete geometry, topology, and quantum self-organization. Keywords: Self-Construction Theory; space-time quanta; space-time complex field; intrinsic purpose; Law of Coordination; Constructive Flow; Realization Phase; background-independent quantum gravity; emergence; topological defect; origin of mass; testable predictions; Causal Dynamical Triangulation (CDT)