The Ladder of Selection: Stratified Intent and Six Structural Closures

Introduces a stratified taxonomy of Intent (I₀: constraint narrowing, I₁: navigational narrowing, I₂: self-directed narrowing) with independent precedent in Ernst Mayr's teleomatic/teleonomic distinction (1974, 1992). Crosses level with the published Ic/Ib mode axis to produce a six-cell deployment grid. Closes six structural exposures identified through adversarial audit of the CAT'S Theory corpus: the mechanism-teleology equivocation, the universal claim (retorsion vs removability), Zero Test falsifiability, the Flew genetic fallacy, the specialist selection effect, and the Nicene relation of origin. Introduces the Boundary-Condition Entailment: P > 0 and Pr > 0 entail I₀ > 0, closing the previously open derivational step from universal I₀ to grounding-level I₂ via the Intent Trilemma, framework elimination on candidate grounds, the Spinoza gap closure (Pr = 0 eliminates abstract self-grounding), and the Distinguishability Lemma applied to the directing/tracking pair at R = Φ(R). A companion to Triadic Meta-Ontological Realism: From Invariant to Trinity (Trout 2026).