The Universal Projection-Referential Self-Erasure Principle (UPRSEP): An Interdependent Mechanism-Chain Framework for Criterion Elimination, Universal Projection, Functional Self-Erasure, and Systemic Dependency Propagation

This paper proposes the Universal Projection-Referential Self-Erasure Principle (UPRSEP), a general theoretical framework for examining how the elimination of an indispensable criterion, reference, category, or contextual condition may interact with the universal projection of a remaining criterion. The central research problem concerns the possibility that such a projection produces uniform categorical outcomes while simultaneously removing the distinctions, references, or functional conditions required to make the projected criterion meaningful for a specific purpose.The framework distinguishes nine complementary mechanisms: Reciprocal Criterion Structuring, Criterion Elimination, Universal Criterion Projection, Differentiation Flattening, Referential-Contextual Depletion, Functional Self-Erasure, Meta-Justificatory Undermining, Systemic Dependency Propagation, and System-Level Functional Reassessment. These mechanisms are organized into a conditional causal architecture rather than treated as independent phenomena.The formal model specifies a domain of objects or states, a set of criteria, classification functions, reference structures, functional roles, sufficient support sets, and a dependency hypergraph. It separates uniform categorical output from score uniformity, observed category absence from referential exhaustion, and role-specific failure from system-wide failure. Conditional propositions describe when a projected criterion loses discriminatory capacity and when a failure may propagate through dependent functions.Two permanent primary test cases, the Universal-Goodness-Absent-Badness Hypothetical (UGABH) and the Uniform-Illumination-Absent-Darkness Hypothetical (UIADH), are retained throughout the theoretical architecture without restricting the principle to goodness, badness, light, darkness, binary classification, or any predetermined disciplinary domain.The framework is a formal theoretical proposal, not an established universal law. Its mathematical results must be distinguished from its substantive hypotheses. Full literature comparison, operational measurement, reproducible simulations, counterexample analysis, and empirical validation remain necessary to establish its explanatory range and originality.universal projection; criterion elimination; referential self-erasure; functional dependency; classification collapse; systemic propagation; functional role; contrast dependence; conditional theoretical framework.