Life as Directed Causality
PUBLISHED: 2026-01-17
Abstract: This paper argues that life and minimal agency are thermodynamically isomorphic, grounded in a single constitutive property: Hormē (Ὁρμή), the striving to maintain far‑from‑equilibrium organization against entropic dispersion. I defend T6: The Life‑Agency Isomorphism Theorem, which states that a system is alive if and only if it possesses Hormē, and possesses Hormē if and only if it is a minimal agent. This framework dissolves two persistent philosophical gaps: (1) the Life/Mind Gap, by showing agency emerges at thermodynamic autonomy as information‑sensitive striving; and (2) the Mechanism/Teleology Gap, by demonstrating that apparent purposiveness is immanent in the self‑maintaining causal topology of dissipative structures. The result is a non‑vitalist, physics‑grounded naturalization of agency and teleology, bridging philosophy of biology, cognitive science, and action theory.
Status Log
2026-01-26Added section to solidify the concept of "directing causal flow" and the formal derivation of T7. Conceptually much easier to grasp the deeper meanings. Also, made hard determinist position untenable, by showing how T6 is not the "radical" position and they are preforming contradictions. DOI=10.5281/zenodo.18380031
2026-01-21Final proofread and uploaded to preprint and website.
2026-01-17Finalized the manuscript through a rigorous polish filling any citation gaps. DOI=10.5281/zenodo.18331605
2026-01-16Executed the primary draft, formalizing the thermodynamic grounding of *Hormē* and integrating the majority of the academic citations required to bridge biology and action theory.
2026-01-05Conceptualized the architectural skeleton of the paper, establishing the core logic for the isomorphism between biological persistence and minimal agency.
AI Transparency Statement: Artificial Intelligence was used to smooth the prose, suggest analogies, and identify secondary literature. If you find this text dense, be grateful—the original human draft was far more impenetrable. While the machine improved the flow, all philosophical arguments and primary source engagement remain the stubborn responsibility of the author.