Life-Ω as a Physical Phenomenon — On the Non-Ontological Status of Its "Blank"

Boundary note (added 2026-07-23): the Ω-centered empirical layer was self-retracted on 2026-05-31. Ω-centered validation is not currently supported as the active empirical basis; this record remains a historical, fixed, Ω-centered record and must not be cited as current validation. See the VOT Empirical Layer Boundary Note — https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20474232. A later four-dataset head-to-head found that order gated by critical slowing does not beat free-energy signals (10.5281/zenodo.21422215, negative result). This document clarifies the ontological and operational status of the conceptual “blank” associated with Life-Ω. Life-Ω is treated as a fully physical phenomenon, describable without invoking purpose, agency, intrinsic value, or teleology. Its behavior is accounted for entirely through physical interactions and directional tendencies. The remaining “blank” is not an unresolved ontological gap. It is an operational safeguard introduced on the human side, intended to prevent the re-projection of purpose, agency, or value after physical explanation is complete. Only World-Ω constitutes an unavoidable blank, in the sense that certain explanatory questions structurally fail to arise and do not meaningfully apply. This boundary is structurally unavoidable. This clarification is intended to prevent metaphysical, religious, or ethical misreadings of the Life-Ω framework. It does not propose values, prescriptions, or normative interpretations, and it does not treat the blank as a source of meaning, hope, or despair.