Information Energetics and the Somatic Substrate of Self
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) May 27, 2026 Robert Keith Russell
A scale-free, four-tiered biological stack is proposed that spans quantum-coherent spin dynamics, classical ionotropic circuits, metabolic-mitochondrial signalling networks, and host-microbiome interactions. Under this framework, the host-microbiome axis forms an integrated, distributed information-energetic feedback loop in which microbial signalling molecules act as slow variables that sculpt the continuous thermodynamic landscape of the mind. A formal thermodynamic justification for phenomenal consciousness is implemented, arguing that subjective experience serves a necessary function in translating multi-scale energetic states into a unified, motivationally loaded causal driver for adaptive action.