The Normative Reconstruction of Interstellar Civilization: A New Tripartite Outlook and Governance under Deep Uncertainty (2nd Edition, 6 volumes in total), Volume 1, Chapter 9: Derivation of the Principle of Reversibility
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: This work is the complete manuscript of Chapter 9 of Volume 1 of a six-volume philosophical monograph, completed independently, in preprint form. This chapter derives the Reversibility Principle, REV — the third normative principle of cosmic responsibility ethics and, with it, the last piece of the "Freedom—Responsibility—Prudence" triad. The problem it takes up is one that Chapters 7 and 8 left open. When uncertainty runs deep, how are agents to exercise freedom, and how are they to fulfill responsibility, given that their actions may inflict irreversible harm on negentropic organizations? The question is not rhetorical; it has teeth. REV's epistemological foundation rests on Proposition NK-3, introduced back in Chapter 3: some domains of uncertainty, on that proposition, simply cannot be resolved by further inquiry. From here the chapter proceeds along a dual-track derivation. The epistemological track argues that deep uncertainty rules out reliable ex ante identification of which irreversible actions would be permissible. The precautionary track makes a complementary point — where the stakes are high and the probabilities indeterminate, preserving one's options is a rational imperative, not a luxury. Together, the two tracks yield REV's formal statement: for any action carrying a risk of irreversible harm under deep uncertainty, an alternative with higher reversibility ought to be prioritized, unless overriding reasons decisively justify why the irreversible action is necessary. Statement, however, is not yet application. The chapter accordingly operationalizes reversibility by way of a formalized reversibility degree measure, supplemented by a heuristic assessment procedure, and it goes on to delineate REV's scope, its normative strength, and its domains of application. Nor is REV treated in isolation. The chapter systematizes the priority rules that coordinate — and, where necessary, mediate conflicts among — the three principles of cosmic responsibility ethics: the Recursive Freedom Principle (RFP), the Negative-Entropy Responsibility Principle (NRP), and REV itself. It closes, in a way that may surprise some readers, by drawing out cross-cultural parallels between REV and practical wisdom traditions in non-Western philosophy. And because a principle that cannot be tested is arguably no better than a slogan, falsifiable test points are supplied throughout — criteria by which REV's validity and utility can be empirically evaluated, rather than merely asserted. The complete work consists of six volumes. The document submitted here is the final draft of Chapter 9 of Volume 1. It constitutes an independent, original research study and is fully included in this archival record. This manuscript is a preprint that has not undergone peer review and may be revised in the future; the preprint is archived to document the chronology of the work’s creation and facilitate open academic exchange, and does not affect subsequent formal publication or copyright registration. No formal publication contract has been signed with any publisher. The copyright is solely owned by the author.
Author: Xue, Zhixin
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7203882958
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