The Paton Structural Pipeline: A Minimal Architecture for System Viability and Continuation

This paper presents the Tier-0 → Tier-5 architecture of the Paton System as a unified structural pipeline describing the minimal conditions required for system viability and continuation. While many scientific disciplines analyse systems after states and boundaries have already been defined, the Paton System identifies the structural sequence that must exist before system behaviour can be evaluated. The pipeline proceeds through a sequence of structural layers: reference condition, distinction, constrained interaction, admissibility filtering, observational evaluation, and recursive continuation. These layers correspond to the Tier-0 → Tier-5 architecture of the Paton System. The resulting structure can be expressed as a minimal viability pipeline: Reference → Distinction → Formation → Admissibility → Observation → Continuation This structural pipeline aligns closely with concepts in control theory, optimisation, and viability theory, where systems must remain within admissible regions in order to persist. The Paton System clarifies the deeper structural conditions that must exist before such admissibility evaluations become meaningful. By framing system continuation as a sequence of structural conditions rather than purely dynamic processes, the Paton System provides a domain-neutral architecture connecting multiple scientific disciplines and clarifying the foundational structure underlying persistence and collapse.