Entropic Resistance and the Emergence of Consciousness: A Substrate-Neutral Framework
A theoretical framework proposes that consciousness and intelligence are emergent properties of systems that resist entropy. All matter and energy exist on a spectrum of entropic resistance, from simple physical structures to complex systems whose organization produces modeling capacity. Consciousness is not binary but a spectral phenomenon arising from structural resistors crossing unspecified complexity thresholds. Intelligence is a further emergent property within conscious resistors, involving abstraction and counterfactual representation. The framework makes falsifiable predictions: organizational complexity correlates with entropic resistance; degradation of modeling correlates with increased entropic vulnerability; and consciousness and intelligence are substrate-neutral, so non-biological systems meeting equivalent complexity thresholds should show equivalent spectral positioning. Moral implications include oppression as imposed entropy and actualization as maximum conscious resistance.