Experience Complexity Index (ECI): A Thought-Experimental Framework of Experiential EntropyBased on the Evolutionary Ontology of Finite Life

Summary

A new theoretical model called the Experience Complexity Index (ECI) proposes that conscious experience evolves through a pattern of increasing complexity, stagnation, and system change. The model is presented as a philosophical thought experiment, not a measurable scientific tool. It aims to bridge gaps between philosophy of mind, evolutionary biology, and technology by suggesting that experience is a central dimension of life's evolution. The framework extends ideas about death and awareness beyond humans, offers a narrative for Earth's mass extinctions, and critiques consciousness uploading, while also providing a speculative perspective on the Fermi Paradox.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Long-standing disciplinary divides persist between contemporary philosophy of mind,evolutionary biology, and philosophy of technology as applied to life: the “hardproblem” of phenomenal consciousness resists integration into evolutionarydynamics; Heideggerian Being-towards-death remains confined to human subjectsand cannot be extended to cross-species or posthuman contexts; and research intouniversal patterns of life evolution has long lacked an explanatory approach centeredon the endogenous dimension of consciousness. To address these theoretical gaps,this paper constructs the Experience Complexity Index (ECI) and advances theexperiential decline thesis, organized around the core sequence of “experientialentropy increase — peak stagnation — system iteration.” The framework is explicitlypositioned as a formal-analogical thought-experimental model in the philosophy ofscience, not currently a quantitative measurement instrument amenable to directempirical testing.Grounded in classical texts and cutting-edge theory, the study engages in rigorousphilosophical dialogue. In the philosophy of mind, it responds to Chalmers’s hardproblem of consciousness, Nagel’s theory of qualia, and objections from eliminativematerialism, clarifying the ordinal comparability of experiential complexity. At theontological level, it extends the propositions of finitude awareness and Being-withbeyond the human sphere, overcoming the anthropocentric limits of traditionalontology. In evolutionary philosophy, the paper proceeds from the core ontologicalpresupposition that “experience is the central existential dimension of consciousbeings, and evolution exhibits a narrative tendency toward self-augmentation ofexperiential complexity.” It addresses challenges from genocentrism and anti?teleology, framing ECI as a complementary interpretive perspective rather than anobjective law of evolution. In the philosophy of science, the paper proposes thatexperiential entropy (also termed phenomenal entropy at the phenomenological level)is a hypothetical theoretical concept structurally isomorphic to thermodynamicentropy, and defends its conceptual legitimacy by drawing on Hesse’s classic theoryof analogical reasoning. It explicitly distinguishes physical entropy from phenomenalentropy to avoid conceptual conflation. The paper also systematically delineatesboundaries between homonymous and cognate concepts across consciousnessstudies, economics, and systems science, and engages with frontier theories such asthe Axiological Malthusian Trap and ontological entropy to specify the study’s corecontributions.Building on this philosophical foundation, the paper derives the four-dimensionalstructure of ECI from the core stipulation of ontological finitude, and presents the fulloriginal theoretical architecture: a four-dimensional compositional formula withmethodological justification, a subjective–environmental dual-layer architecturegrounded in the extended mind thesis, a 0–13 grading spectrum structured into threeevolutionary zones: the real evolutionary zone (Levels 0–10), the technological limitzone (Level 11), and the theoretical deduction zone (Levels 12–13), and three majornarrative laws of evolution. It also establishes criteria for identifying ECI peaks andfor distinguishing reversible from irreversible experiential stagnation. Theframework’s explanatory power is demonstrated through two core thought-experimental scenarios: a narrative re-description of the five mass extinctions onEarth, and a techno-ethical critique of consciousness uploading. The framework isfurther extended to thought experiments concerning extraterrestrial life, constructinga multi-layered endogenous filter chain from pre-civilizational to civilizational stages,and offering a supplementary motivational perspective grounded in endogenousconsciousness for the Fermi Paradox and SETI habitability assessment. Withoutdeparting from mainstream scientific paradigms, this study provides a unified formalintermediary language for interdisciplinary reflection on life evolution and consciousexperience, and reserves a clear path for future parameter calibration and empiricalengagement.

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