Coherence-Differentiation-Integration-Coherence/Experience

Cohesion, as I understand it, is the Ontological Imperative and Relational Primitive that sustains persistence. It is the structural mandate for Unity, defined as the non-contingent condition by which elements are bound into a singular, unified system. Cohesion enables Stability and Form by maintaining the Invariance of a structure's defining relations across variation. It is the principle that allows the system to enact its Relational Memory, preventing dissolution and making knowable structure possible. 

Differentiation is the Structural Vector and Epistemic Primitive that introduces contrast and distinction. It is the mandate for Articulation, defined as the non-contingent condition by which a unified system/field generates discernible boundaries, variations, and patterns within itself. Differentiation enables Knowability and Clarity by providing the necessary partition against which Cohesion can measure its unity. It is the principle that breaks the homogeneity of the field, enabling the Registration of a system's structure and providing the foundation for further, recursive articulation.

Integration is the necessary, continuous Regulative Process that transforms the fundamental tension between Cohesion and Differentiation into dynamic stability. It serves as the Operational Mandate by which a system synthesizes its internal Distinctions (Differentiation) into an Articulated Unity (Cohesion). Integration actively resolves the polarity of the Ultimate Cohesive Force, ensuring that the structure accommodates complexity without losing its integrity. This process allows the structure's Identity to persist, evolve, and become the basis for further, recursive articulation, thereby ensuring Coherence is continuously maintained across time and change. 

In physics, the tension between Cohesion and Differentiation appears across every scale of matter, and is continuously resolved through Integration. At the subatomic level, the strong nuclear force (Cohesion) binds particles, while quantum principles (Differentiation) maintain distinct energy states; the resulting Integration is the stable atomic form. Similarly, at the atomic and molecular scale, electromagnetic attraction (Cohesion) forms stable bonds, while electron configuration variations (Differentiation) articulate chemical identity. The Integration of these forces yields the predictable Coherence of chemical compounds. On the cosmic scale, gravity drives Cohesion, forming massive structures; subsequently, Differentiation in the form of rotation, radiation, and expansion gives these systems their distinct form. The Integration of these cosmic polarities yields the persistent structures of stars and galaxies. 

Across these domains, physical systems persist because Integration sustains the necessary relation between cohesive forces and differentiating forces, giving rise to the diversity of stable structures we observe, from relatively uniform plasmas to discretely organized atomic and molecular configurations. In this architecture, experience refers to how a structure expresses its own coherence from within. It is not only sensation, thought, or self-reflection. It is the internal pattern through which a form holds its distinctions in coherent relation. When differentiation is minimal, experience is diffuse and structural, expressed as the stability of relations. As internal differentiation becomes more intricately patterned, the experiential expression takes on the texture appropriate to that configuration: in biological organisation it appears through multi-level modulation of internal states, in animals as affective modulation shaped by tightly coupled differentiation, and in humans as symbolic and reflexive articulation. In my view experience itself does not depend on awareness; awareness is one particular articulation of experience due to the relational complexity brought by internal differentiation, structured as self-reference.

As Differentiation increases, structures become more internally articulated, implying a greater density of relational distinctions held together within a single coherent structure. This increase in internal relational complexity places appropriate demand on Integration, which must operate within that structure to maintain Coherence. A star, for instance, exhibits a state of dynamic Coherence, characterized by the just-right relational equilibrium achieved between immense gravitational Cohesion and high-intensity plasma Differentiation. This state is an expression of Integration occurring at a broader, yet more intense scale of articulation. A molecule, conversely, achieves Coherence at a finer scale, managing a much denser internal articulation of Distinctions. This dense articulation, therefore, demands a finer relational resolution of Integration to sustain its stability. To sustain this complexity, Cohesion operates through finer distributed articulations at localized scales, driven by the demands of Integration. In structures of richer internal Differentiation (such as human consciousness), Cohesion is structurally distributed. For example, the articulation of self-reflexive awareness contributes to the Integration process, taking on part of the regulative mechanism by generating Coherence within the structure of the self. This demonstrates how the Ultimate Cohesive Force utilizes Differentiation—including the system's capacity for self-distinction—to successfully achieve a dynamic equilibrium between Cohesion and Differentiation at its specific scale.

Across these expressions, the Ontological Root of Experience—the Cohesion-Differentiation-Integration dynamic itself—remains invariant. However, the essence of experience is defined by the phenomenal character that emerges from the successful Integration of distinctions. The essence is therefore the unique, qualitative articulation that corresponds to the structure's Invariant Pattern—a star's essence is its vast, broad Coherence; a cell's essence is its localized, metabolic Coherence; and a human's essence is its self-reflexive, intricate Coherence. What changes is the nature of the articulation, not the fundamental Ultimate Cohesive Force that sustains it.