The Quantification Horizon Theory of Consciousness
arXiv Preprint Archive April 4, 2017 T. R. Le
Mathematical models of nature omit qualia—subjective experiences like colors and sounds—because they only capture quantifiable features. The hard problem of consciousness asks why physical processing produces felt experience. Quantification Horizon Theory (QHT) argues this problem reflects a structural limit: quantitative models cannot describe qualia but can mark their place via 'compression singularities' in a system's self-compression, rendered through information geometry. These singularities indicate a quantification horizon beyond which qualia lie. QHT conditionally explains ineffability, privacy, subjectivity, unity, and causal efficacy, proposes substrate-independent dynamical criteria for consciousness, rejects panpsychism without ad-hoc exceptions, and offers implications for artificial consciousness.