The Ontology of Determination Regulation: Subject Formation, Pre-Determinate Capacity, and Finite Continuance Under Chronic Instability

This article presents a systematic reconstruction of subject formation under conditions of chronic instability, shifting the philosophical focus from the traditional problem of identity to the regulation of determination. The central thesis posits that the subject is not a pre-existing substance but emerges through the continuous regulation of determination, wherein pre-determinate capacities are temporarily stabilized into livable determinations. The framework introduces a unified architecture comprising three regulatory mechanisms and one ontological condition. The automatic mask fixes determination through ontological operational memory; the dynamic mask regulates the permeability of determination, preserving the capacity for readjustment; responsible suspension manages the timing of determination fixation; and finite continuance constitutes the ontological condition for preserving the capacity to reopen the field of determination. By distinguishing ontological operational memory from traditional concepts of sedimentation and habit, and by addressing the mechanistic gap between possibility and determination left by Heidegger, Foucault, and Bourdieu, this article establishes finite continuance not as the preservation of a fixed identity, but as the sustained capacity for redetermination amidst chronic erosion. Keywords: Determination Regulation, Pre-Determinate Capacity, Ontological Operational Memory, Finite Continuance, Automatic Mask, Dynamic Mask, Responsible Suspension, Chronic Instability