The Substance Test: Against Lattice Fundamentalism - A Spinozist Critique of Discrete Ontologies

V1.23 The Substance Test: Against Lattice Fundamentalism: A Spinozist Critique of Discrete Ontologies Abstract:This paper presents the Substance Test, a strict ontological audit of proposals that claim reality is fundamentally composed of discrete primitives (nodes, bits, cells). Grounded in Spinoza’s definition of substance as self-subsistent being, the critique demonstrates that lattice-style theories fail to qualify as fundamental because they invariably presuppose external scaffolding: a container to define adjacency and a rulebook to govern dynamics. The analysis identifies common evasions (such as the "Information Trap" and "Emergence Trap") and delivers a forced dilemma: discrete proposals must either admit they are instrumental models of structure or collapse into a single-substance monism to survive ontological scrutiny. Contact jared@ustphysics.org