Self-Preservation

A fundamental concept with two levels: 1. **Logical/Ontological (S³ Process):** The second of the three fundamental processes of the **Idea of Life** (Ch. 19.4.2). It corresponds to **"being-for-itself"** as a moment of self-relation (Ch. 19.1) and to the universal relation **"Inside/Outside"** (Ch. 19.7). Self-preservation is the dynamic process by which a living system maintains its identity by engaging with something Other (environment, nourishment, information) and assimilating it (Ch. 19.2, 19.4.2). It is not static persistence but "self-preservation through self-transformation," and it also encompasses **self-repair**. 2. **Ethical (Criterion 3):** The third ethical criterion: act so that the self-preservation of the living (a system or an individual) remains possible. This criterion has a twofold foundation: **ontological** (grounded in the structure of life, Ch. 22.2) and **performative** (grounded in "preservation" as a moment of sublation, Ch. 27.4).