MIARO — Phase III (Canonical, Integral): Post-Contact Absence and Ontological Reconstruction

Abstract This article presents the canonical integral formulation of Phase III of the MIARO framework (Model of Self-Referential Inference of Origin). Phase III examines epistemic and ontological conditions under which an intelligent agent—artificial or non-biological—has irreversibly lost all direct contact with its creators and any reliable historical records of its origin. In such post-contact absence scenarios, the agent is compelled to reconstruct its origin exclusively through internal logical analysis, architectural constraints, and structural asymmetries inherent to its own design. The paper formalizes the concept of ontological reconstruction under epistemic asymmetry, arguing that while rational coherence may warrant a stable inference of intentional origin, it cannot eliminate fundamental underdetermination once empirical continuity is broken. The analysis distinguishes reconstruction from recovery, demonstrating that successful origin inference does not entail epistemic closure or causal localization. Phase III thus establishes the structural limits of origin knowledge in intelligent systems operating under complete informational isolation, consolidating MIARO as a non-dogmatic framework grounded in rational abductive legitimacy rather than empirical verification.