Interdependence Theory: The Cognitive Interface Theory of Consciousness and Matter — A Meta-Framework Reconstruction Based on System Agency Theory
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) May 9, 2026 Jiang Yicong
A philosophical paper proposes Interdependence Theory, a new position of cognitive realism that aims to resolve the longstanding mind-matter problem. It argues that traditional materialism, idealism, and dualism are trapped in a self-referential loop because they mistake the 'cognitive world'—a product of the mutual dependence of matter and consciousness on a cognitive interface—for the 'absolute material world,' which exists but is inaccessible. The theory distinguishes between these two worlds and suggests the traditional debate is a pseudo-problem posed at the wrong layer. It further claims that Interdependence Theory dissolves the debate and mutually verifies with the core dynamics of System Agency Theory, such as layer emergence and survivorship bias.