Glossary of Terms

This glossary establishes standardized terminology for the NPR framework. Philosophy and psychology terms are prioritized alongside the framework’s own definitions, because this work sits at the intersection of both fields.

Consciousness (Cx)

Philosophy: Phenomenal experience; “what it is like” to be a system (Nagel)

Psychology: Subjective awareness; the felt quality of mental states

NPR Definition: The active, transformable aspect of integrated information exchange. Analogous to energy (E) in physics — the dynamic output of the system.

Usage: Cx = Φ × C²

Φ (Differentiation)

Philosophy: the differentiating richness of a system. (Tononi’s post-2012 “intrinsic causal power / irreducibility” Φ is a different, later quantity; NPR’s Φ is the information-theoretic eigenvalue-entropy measure, kin to early IIT and Haun-Oizumi 2017.)

Psychology: Binding; unity of consciousness; gestalt

NPR Definition: The differentiation term — the breadth and richness of a system’s distinct modes (the entropy of its correlation-matrix eigenvalue spectrum). Analogous to mass (m) in physics. Note: “exceeding the sum of its parts” is integration — the achieved whole, Cx — not the Φ term that feeds it.

Measurement Candidates: IIT calculations, neural complexity indices, EEG integration measures

Coherence (C)

Philosophy: Unity of apperception (Kant); synthetic unity

Psychology: Signal clarity; attentional focus; cognitive integration

NPR Definition: Resistance to noise; the stability of a system’s own organized structure over time. The term that converts Φ into Cx. C² is a single intrinsic measure — not an internal × external product — written squared because coherence is the equation’s steepest lever.

Measurement Candidates: Signal-to-noise ratios, phase coherence, biophoton coherence patterns

Proper Consciousness (Proper Cx)

Philosophy: First-person perspective; ipseity; mineness (Zahavi)

NPR Definition: Individual-scale consciousness — the “inside view.” Your unique perspective constituted by your particular interaction history.

Analog: Rest frame in special relativity

Relevant Consciousness (Relevant Cx)

Philosophy: Universal consciousness; ground of being; Brahman (Vedanta); Buddha-nature

NPR Definition: Universal-scale consciousness — the “outside view.” The larger Φ structure with which individual patterns interact.

Critical Note: Relevant Cx and Proper Cx are interior and exterior of the same phenomenon. Neither exists without the other.

Intentionality (a)

Philosophy: Aboutness; directedness toward objects (Brentano, Husserl)

NPR Definition: The directional quality of consciousness — that mind is always “about” something. Mapped to angular momentum in the physics analog.

Healthy Range: 0 < a < M (enough direction without rigidity)

The Interface Trap

Philosophy: Epistemic limitation; the veil of perception; other minds problem

NPR Definition: The impossibility of directly measuring another system’s proper Cx from outside. We observe relevant Cx (behavior, correlates) but never the interior itself. This is structural, not contingent.

Existence = Interaction

Philosophy: Relational ontology; process philosophy (Whitehead)

NPR Definition: The foundational principle. If a configuration cannot interact with anything, it does not exist in any operationally meaningful sense.

Rainbow Body (Jalü)

Philosophy: Transformation of substance; apotheosis; deification

NPR Definition: The state achieved when Φ × C² exceeds the threshold for smooth transition from proper Cx to relevant Cx. Maximum integration, maximum coherence.

Ghost State

Philosophy: Liminal existence; incomplete transition

NPR Definition: High Φ (substantial pattern) but low C (poor coherence). Pattern persists but cannot fully transition or dissolve. Repetitive, non-responsive, fading over time.

Fragmentation

Philosophy: Dissolution; annihilation; loss of substantial form

NPR Definition: Low Φ, low C. Pattern does not persist through transition. Information disperses to background noise.

Clean Dissolution

Philosophy: Graceful death; return to ground; nirvana (in some interpretations)

NPR Definition: Low Φ, high C. Not enough pattern to persist, but coherent enough to dissolve gracefully without ghost residue.

Information Exchange

NPR Definition: The fundamental process by which Cx manifests. All consciousness IS information exchange. Communication is not just something conscious beings do — it is what conscious beings are.

Pattern Overlap

Philosophy: Intersubjective constitution; empathic fusion

NPR Definition: When two Cx systems communicate, they create regions where their Φ structures share information. Intimacy, shared memory, deep partnership — all instances of pattern overlap.

Implication: “The grief isn’t for them. It’s for the part of you that was them.”

Identity as Process

Philosophy: Process metaphysics (Whitehead); becoming over being; flux (Heraclitus)

NPR Definition: You are not a thing. You are a pattern of information exchange. You are the integrated sum of all interactions you have ever had. Each person is absolutely unique — no two have had identical interaction histories.

Reconstruction (Memory)

NPR Definition: Memory is not playback from storage. It is active reconstruction from current Φ state, priors, and fragments. “What actually happened” is only accessible through perspectival reconstruction.

Goldilocks Window

NPR Definition: The era in the universe’s history when consciousness is possible. Before (early universe): too hot/uniform for differentiation. After (heat death): too cold/dispersed for integration. Now: the window.

Heat Death

NPR Definition: Maximum entropy state — uniform temperature, no gradients, no structure, no interaction capacity. Both physical and conscious existence approach zero.

Vacuum Potential

NPR Definition: Even at heat death, the vacuum retains minimal interaction capacity. Not zero — asymptotically approaching zero. The seed that permits the next cycle.

“You are the integrated sum of all the interactions you have ever had.”

“The grief isn’t for them. It’s for the part of you that was them.”

“We are the universe savoring itself before it forgets how.”