From Biological Evolution to Civilizational Structure: The Shift of Selection Mechanisms, Core Tensions, and the Establishment of the "I"

Starting from two foundational axioms, this paper systematically outlines the key factors required for life to transition from the stage of biological evolution to that of civilization. It argues that once civilization is formed, the Axiom of Survival Selection no longer functions as the dominant selection mechanism. Under this transformation, civilization is not built upon life structures optimized for civilization, but rather upon biological evolutionary inertia that is no longer well adapted. This mismatch gives rise to a series of irreducible structural tensions. The paper further analyzes the dual perspectives of individuals and society within civilization, the mechanisms of normative differentiation, and concludes that the core of life at the civilizational stage is no longer “how to survive,” but rather how the “I” achieves a stable description of its own existence and behavior—through language and cognition—within two fundamental tensions.