Asymmetric Causation and Neutral Relata: A Dual-Primitive Ontology for Physics and Consciousness

This paper presents a comprehensive dual-primitive ontological framework addressing the central trilemma in metaphysics: deriving directional physical law, thermodynamic asymmetry, and phenomenal consciousness from a minimal ontological base. Building on a companion proof that directionality cannot emerge from symmetric relations alone, we propose two primitives: (1) Neutral Relata (NR)—information-theoretic distinctions forming a scalar potentiality field $\phi(x,t)$, and (2) Asymmetric Causation (AC)—a vector field $A(x,t)$ representing necessary symmetry-breaking in informational space. We demonstrate that AC emerges as a thermodynamic necessity when systems exceed computational reversibility thresholds. Using a causal graph formalism, we provide a rigorous derivation of the quantum harmonic oscillator and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The framework generates quantified empirical predictions: mesoscopic systems exhibit excess entropy production $\epsilon(C) = \kappa C^\alpha$ in Jarzynski equality violations. Furthermore, we define consciousness as Recursive Temporal Binding (RTB) and address the emergence of agency and free will in complex systems.