A Thermodynamic Framework for Self, Agency, and Hierarchical Complexity

This paper proposes a three-stream framework for describing temporal dynamics in any complex system: F1 (entropic drive toward equilibrium), F2 (organisational drive generating distinction), and F3 (memory feedback from past to future). The δF3 operator is introduced as a formal, measurable criterion for selfhood — the degree to which a system actively modulates its own feedback rather than propagating it automatically. This work constitutes a conceptual synthesis drawing on thermodynamics, information theory, and Friston's Free Energy Principle. It is not presented as an empirical study. Three novel contributions relative to existing literature are identified: (1) the δF3 self-criterion as a KL-divergence measure, (2) a hierarchical recursion principle (δF3 at level n becomes automatic F3 at level n+1), and (3) a geometric account of probability collapse (the "7-shape" decision horizon). Falsifiable predictions for depression, subjective time, and AI agency are included. This is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.