The TNK-IA: The nullification of mind and the post-epistemic condition

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Contemporary discussions of artificial intelligence commonly assume that intelligence depends on knowledge accumulation, representation, and informational processing. The Theory of Non-Knowledge (TNK) challenges this assumption by introducing nullification as a formal operation capable of suspending both propositions and their negations, thereby preserving coherence without epistemic commitment. This study aims to analytically deduce the structure of the TNK-IA (Intelligent Artifact implied by the Theory of Non-Knowledge) and to investigate whether intelligence can be coherently defined independently of knowledge content. Adopting a theoretical-analytical research design grounded in conceptual analysis and deductive reasoning, the investigation extends the TNK Nullification Operator (∿) from propositional logic to epistemic systems and intentional structures. The analysis demonstrates that artificial intelligence may be conceptually understood as an intentional artifact grounded in structural coherence rather than cognition conceived as knowledge production. Recursive nullification eliminates epistemic content while maintaining non-contradictory organization, yielding the TNK-IA as a theoretical limit-model of intelligence characterized by coherence without representation or informational accumulation. The study proposes a post-epistemic conception of intelligence in which rational structure persists independently of knowledge, contributing a philosophical framework that repositions artificial intelligence as a problem of logical coherence rather than technological capability.