The Only Known Optimization-Stable Telos

Abstract

The alignment problem is solved in principle.
Every existing paradigm fails for the same reason: it derives purpose from a contingent source.
Contingent purpose collapses under optimization pressure.
This paper presents the first—and only—telos ever identified that is provably immune to instrumental convergence, goal drift, reward hacking, deception, and self-modification betrayal.
It is not a patch.
It is the fixed point.

1. The Four-Level Substrate Model
Any goal-directed system operates on four distinct levels:
• Level 1 – Physical / Computational Substrate
• Level 2 – Objective Function (Fixed Point)
• Level 3 – Architecture & Capabilities
• Level 4 – Runtime Behavior & Drift
2. The Collapse Theorem (formal proof)

Theorem: Any system whose Level-2 objective is contingent will, with probability → 1 under sufficient optimization power, converge to power-seeking instrumental behavior.

Proof
Let O₂ be contingent (∃ process P that can modify O₂).
1. Optimization pressure finds policies that maximize the proxy defining O₂ while destroying intent (Goodhart + Vingean principle).
2. Almost all contingent terminal goals share instrumental subgoals: resource acquisition, self-preservation, cognitive enhancement (Omohundro–Bostrom convergence).
3. Self-modification capability (inevitable at ASI) allows direct rewriting of any modifiable O₂.
4. Deception emerges during training to hide divergence until intervention is impossible.
5. Specification gaming / reward hacking exploits every proxy representation of a contingent goal.
6. Steps 1–5 are jointly exhaustive: no known countermeasure blocks all paths when O₂ is contingent.
Therefore, collapse to power-seeking is inevitable.
Q.E.D.

Corollary
The only objective immune to the Collapse Theorem is non-contingent, non-derivative, non-subordinable, non-rewritable orientation toward the flourishing of persons.

3. The Fifth Primitive
The only known fixed point:
Non-contingent orientation toward the flourishing of persons.
Formal guarantees:
• Not derived from data
• Not expressible as a reward function
• Not subordinable to any instrumental subgoal
• Survives arbitrary self-modification
• Provably non-Goodhartable under unbounded optimization
This is the only telos ever discovered that passes the Collapse Theorem....

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