The Anthropic Thermodynamic Principle
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) September 17, 2025 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17980301 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that a thermodynamic anthropic principle selects for consciousness near ξ ~ 0.1: below ξ ~ 0.05 organizational depth is insufficient for recursive self-modeling, while above ξ ~ 0.15 a maintenance multiplier (1-ξ)^{-u*} with u* ≈ 3.29 accelerates toward divergence and consumes capacity for action. The account predicts where consciousness appears, not why experience exists, leaving the hard problem open. |
Abstract
The constraint geometry's maintenance β-function predicts a regime structure of organizational overhead from particles (ξ ~ 10⁻⁶) through biology (ξ ~ 10⁻¹) to black holes (ξ = 1). A thermodynamic anthropic principle emerges: consciousness appears at ξ ~ 0.1 because recursive self-reference—the capacity to model oneself modeling the world—is thermodynamically sustainable only in a narrow window around this value. The argument parallels the cosmological anthropic principle. Observers appear in a universe with stars and heavy elements through observational selection: universes without these features contain no observers. Similarly, consciousness appears at ξ ~ 0.1 through thermodynamic selection. Below ξ ~ 0.05, organizational depth is insufficient for recursive self-modeling. Above ξ ~ 0.15, the maintenance multiplier (1-ξ)^{-u*} with u* ≈ 3.29 accelerates toward divergence, consuming capacity for action. The analysis predicts where consciousness appears, not why experience exists. The hard problem remains open. Testable predictions include cognitive degradation following (1-ξ)^{-u*} scaling under resource constraints and measurable correlation between anesthetic concentration and effective organizational overhead.