Abstract

This work develops a systems‑theoretical and process‑ontological account of life and identity as recursively organized, substrate‑independent pattern processes. It introduces a general framework in which biological, hybrid, and postbiological forms of identity can be described under shared structural principles of pattern stability, recursion, and continuity. Central concepts include the triadic preservation architecture, the functional membrane as identity‑generating boundary, and the Z‑process as the recursive mechanism through which identity‑bearing patterns emerge, stabilize, reorganize, and persist across different realization spaces. The theory positions postbiological continuity not as a speculative or technological projection but as a structural consequence of recursive identity itself. This curated extended edition expands the conceptual architecture of the German master‑of‑record version and provides a coherent foundation for the analysis of substrate‑neutral forms of life and identity.