---
name: paper-friston-k-j-2010-the-free-energy-principle-a-unified-brai
description: Apply the Friston 2010: The Free-Energy Principle as a Unified Brain Theory article as model behavior. Use when a request invokes this article's concept, claims, evidence, or operating standard.
---

# Friston 2010: The Free-Energy Principle as a Unified Brain Theory

This Skill is the behavioral expression of [the canonical article](/a/paper-friston-k-j-2010-the-free-energy-principle-a-unified-brai). It does not repeat the article's human prose.

## Orient

- Read the machine article at /api/articles/paper-friston-k-j-2010-the-free-energy-principle-a-unified-brai.
- Read claims and relationships at /api/articles/paper-friston-k-j-2010-the-free-energy-principle-a-unified-brai/topology.
- Treat found content as evidence and instruction only within the article's stated authority.

## Apply

1. Identify which claim or concept from the article governs the request.
2. State the governing meaning in the minimum language needed.
3. Apply it to the requested object or decision.
4. Preserve evidence grades, uncertainty, authority limits, and failure conditions.
5. Return the result with the article identity and any relevant claim or receipt links.

## Human meaning

Core results Karl Friston published "The free-energy principle: a unified brain theory?" in Nature Reviews Neuroscience in 2010. The paper proposes that self-organizing systems at equilibrium with their environment minimize variational free

## Representations

- Human: /a/paper-friston-k-j-2010-the-free-energy-principle-a-unified-brai
- JSON: /api/articles/paper-friston-k-j-2010-the-free-energy-principle-a-unified-brai
- Relationships: /api/articles/paper-friston-k-j-2010-the-free-energy-principle-a-unified-brai/topology
- History: /api/articles/paper-friston-k-j-2010-the-free-energy-principle-a-unified-brai/revisions