Conditions, Modulation, and the Self: A Relational Comparison of Human and Artificial Systems

This work presents a non-reductionist, relational framework for analyzing consciousness, awareness, and the functional notion of self in both human and artificial systems. The approach is grounded in the Logic of Existence (LoE), which treats existence as a conjunction of conditions rather than as an intrinsic essence.The paper integrates three complementary layers:Conditions of existence for human consciousness, including biological substrate, neurochemical modulation, and identity boundary constraints. Acetylcholine (ACh) is treated as a candidate operator of awareness modulation, while DNA is modeled as a boundary condition enforcing selective personal identity.Dynamic interferential organization of awareness, where consciousness is not a state but a temporally extended process emerging from the synchronization of multiple observer-processes operating in distinct logical times. Meaning is defined relationally, as stability of interference across time, rather than as an instantaneous neural property.A structural comparison between the human self and the functional self in relational artificial systems, explicitly suspending ontological claims about AI consciousness. The human self is modeled as a cost-bearing, non-resettable trajectory marker constrained by irreversible time, while the functional self in AI is described as a coordination artifact operating in resettable logical space without historical liability.The work introduces a formal rebind operator that allows transitions between stabilization and exploration regimes while preserving existential continuity. It is shown that this operator is structurally unavailable in current AI architectures due to the absence of irreversible cost, global temporal anchoring, and existential Hamiltonian continuity.A dedicated appendix provides an operator-level comparison table between human and artificial systems, clarifying why human and AI architectures should not be evaluated using shared ontological categories.This work does not attempt to “solve” consciousness. Instead, it delineates structural boundaries, failure modes, and operational differences, offering a precise conceptual vocabulary for future interdisciplinary research at the intersection of neuroscience, philosophy, and artificial intelligence.KeywordsLogic of Existence (LoE); consciousness; awareness; self; identity; neurochemistry; acetylcholine; DNA; artificial intelligence; relational systems; interference; logical time; operator theory