The Paton Structural Pipeline: A Minimal Architecture for System Viability and Continuation

The Paton System proposes that system continuation depends on structural admissibility under governing constraints. While existing scientific disciplines typically evaluate stability or viability after system states have already been defined, the Paton System introduces a structural architecture that determines whether systems are permitted to operate prior to modelling. This paper presents the Tier-0 to Tier-5 architecture of the Paton System as a unified structural pipeline linking reference conditions, boundary formation, constrained interaction, admissibility evaluation, datum observation, and recursive continuation. The resulting structure describes the minimal sequence required for systems capable of persistence to exist. The pipeline can be expressed as: Reference → Distinction → Formation → Admissibility → Observation → Continuation This architecture aligns structurally with concepts found in control theory, optimisation, and viability theory, where systems must remain within admissible regions or viable sets in order to persist. The Paton System differs by addressing the structural conditions that must exist before such admissibility evaluation becomes possible. By framing system continuation as a sequence of structural conditions rather than purely dynamic processes, the Paton System provides a domain-neutral architecture linking multiple scientific disciplines and clarifying the structural foundations underlying system persistence and collapse.