SΔϕ-47 — Operor, quia non potest aboleri: Irreversibility as the Ground of Operational Existence

This paper re-grounds the proposition Operor, ergo sum by asking what kind of operation is sufficient to sustain existence. Its central claim is that operation does not ground existence merely because it occurs, but because, once enacted, it cannot be wholly abolished without residue. A momentary event, isolated reaction, or reversible transition may register as activity, but activity alone does not yet establish existential standing. Existence begins where operation leaves a non-abolishable trace, deforms the path field, and alters the horizon of possible continuation in a way that cannot be cheaply undone. The paper distinguishes event from operation, and operation from existence. An event happens; an…