Thermodynamic Debt and the Computational Cosmos Toward a Dissipative Framework for the Emergence of Spacetime and Cosmic Structure

Abstract We explore a speculative framework in which entropy production and dissipative dynamics play a foundational role in cosmic evolution. Rather than treating spacetime geometry as ontologically primary, we examine the hypothesis that geometric structure may emerge from underlying thermodynamic and informational processes. Using tools from open quantum systems, nonequilibrium field theory, and holographic gravity, we construct a conceptual model in which the universe evolves as a dissipative system relaxing from an initial low-entropy state. This approach is not presented as a replacement for standard cosmology but as a complementary interpretive framework that may offer new perspectives on the arrow of time, dark energy, and the emergence of complexity. We discuss possible observational signatures and outline directions for future theoretical development. Keywords: Thermodynamic Debt, Entropic Potential, Open Quantum Systems, Schwinger-Keldysh Formalism, Warm Inflation, Holographic Dark Energy, Free Energy Principle.