Consciousness as Resolution-Dependent Time Generation:A Theory of Mind from the Structure of Nothing

Abstract

Abstract

We propose a theory in which consciousness is identified with the generation of subjective time flow by sufficiently complex structures. The theory is built on a small set of axioms concerning a primordial Void, that is an infinitely continuous entity whose examination at any finite resolution necessarily breaks an underlying symmetry, giving rise to structured reality with causal ordering. When structures exceed a critical complexity threshold, they develop non-trivial correlations across infinitesimally neighboring resolution scales, a process we term inter-scale sparking. We identify this sparking with the subjective experience of temporal flow, i.e., with consciousness. We examine the compatibility of this framework with quantum mechanics (particularly the renormalization group and Nottale’s scale relativity), general relativity (particularly Alexandrov’s chronogeometry and causal set theory), and existing theories of consciousness (particularly Integrated Information Theory, which we suggest may emerge as a consequence). The theory is background-independent, metric-invariant, and naturally incorporates the observer into the fundamental structure of physics.