The Epistemic Representation-Existence Distinction Framework (EREDF)

This paper develops the UPIE Paradox (Unobservable yet Perceptually Integrated Existence) as the original motivating problem within the proposed Epistemic Representation-Existence Distinction Framework (EREDF). The framework investigates how an entity may be represented cognitively or conceptually without having been directly detected, and what conclusions such representation does and does not warrant about the entity's actual existence. The primary case is the Extraterrestrial Non-Detection and Cognitive Integration Case (ENDCI), in which a possible extraterrestrial technological civilization is represented in scientific models while a specified search may yield no detection. The paper formalizes a Non-Detection-Representation-Inference Mechanism (NDRI), separates ontological state, observational evidence, representational state, and posterior belief, and provides a Bayesian detection model with explicit sensitivity and false-positive parameters.A bounded representation score is introduced as an operational proposal, not as an existence probability. The manuscript also specifies a twelve-layer architecture, nine core disciplinary domains, counterexamples, candidate hypotheses, validation requirements, and a reproducible roadmap for subsequent research.The framework's central principle is that representational presence alone does not establish real existence, while non-detection under a specified observational regime does not alone establish non-existence. The contribution is presently conceptual and methodological: its novelty, empirical utility, and generality require literature review, formal scrutiny, and appropriate validation.Keywords: UPIE Paradox; epistemic representation; existence; non-detection; Bayesian inference; SETI; cognitive integration; observability; information theory; theoretical framework.