Existence – A Hierarchical Definition of Ontology

This paper develops a hierarchical definition of ontology that grounds existence in the deterministic and mathematical regularities of the universe.At its foundation, existence arises from self-consistent structures that persist through time. Physical entities are seen as enduring patterns within these regularities, while knowledge and truth emerge from internal representations that mirror them.The framework unifies mathematics, physics, and cognition by interpreting existence, knowledge, and truth as successive manifestations of persistence -the continuity of description that allows order, awareness, and reality itself to endure.Version 2 (April 2026): Added a formal remark arguing that the deterministic foundation layer is not merely assumed but necessary: without exact persistence at the foundational level the ontological hierarchy either regresses infinitely or collapses into approximation, undermining the reliability of all higher-level identifications including scientific and philosophical reasoning itself.