Eigenbehauptung

This paper introduces and defines Eigenbehauptung as a primitive term for identity theory. The phenomenon in question—the structural insistence by which a system remains itself through irreversible change—lacks stable expression in existing vocabularies. Terms such as resilience, persistence, homeostasis, and self-maintenance each presuppose conditions that fail under inspection. Eigenbehauptung is defined as the non-conscious, non-representational, non-teleological maintenance of constraint continuity under admissible transformation. The term is German because no English construction captures the required semantic range without importing agency, intention, or return. This paper does not propose a mechanism, does not defend a consciousness theory, and does not argue for agency. This paper establishes the lexical necessity for the term before justifying its specific construction.