Recursive Information Integration as a Thermodynamic Constraint on Conscious Systems

This paper proposes a constraint-based framework for consciousness grounded in thermodynamics and information theory. Rather than seeking a specific neural, computational, or quantum mechanism, it defines consciousness operationally as a system-level requirement: the capacity to maintain a stable, self-referential informational model against internal entropy. Consciousness is treated not as a component or substance, but as an emergent constraint imposed by recursive entropy regulation in complex systems. The framework is substrate-agnostic and compatible with standard physics, reframing the “hard problem” of consciousness as a quantitative question concerning the thermodynamic cost of sustaining a point of view.