Hypothesis of Bounded Evolution: Building Systems Organized by Restrictions

This document presents the Hypothesis of Bounded Evolution, formulated during the development of the Cognitive Coherence Model (CCM). It proposes that the central question for building cognitive systems is not how many possibilities a system can represent, but how its internal organization allows experience to produce persistent, consequential changes. It argues that evolution requires constraints: unlimited freedom does not guarantee coherent development, and excessive restriction prevents adaptation. It also introduces Apathetic Entropy, a proposed conceptual label for the possible loss of capabilities when a system no longer has meaningful needs or demands, and discusses bounded adaptation. The CCM is presented as one architectural path that follows from these ideas, and the paper lists points of convergence with existing work. This is a hypothesis, not a claim of truth. It reports no empirical results, makes no claim about consciousness, and does not prove that systems built differently cannot show similar results. Its limits and its validity are open questions.