Filtration as a Necessary Structural Condition for Persistent Systems

This preprint formalises Filtration Theory, which proposes that persistence in complex systems requires invariant-first control. The framework defines an admissibility boundary in which non-negotiable invariants are enforced prior to capability, learning, or optimisation. Downstream functions are explicitly conditional and subject to protective retraction rather than punitive correction. The paper presents explicit falsifiers, rendering the theory empirically testable across domains including artificial intelligence, governance, cognition, and complex adaptive systems. The invariant-first control architecture is summarised in Figure 1 and is referenced as a canonical visual specification (Warwick, 2026).