Virtual Entropy, Consciousness Entropy and Social Dissipative Structures
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Within the social thermodynamic framework proposed herein, consciousness entropy constitutes the highest-order set of all entropy descriptions. All observation, measurement and deduction of entropy rely fundamentally on consciousness entropy; there exists no speakable “objective entropy” that is independent of consciousness entropy. The so-called real-world entropy in ordinary discourse is a baseline judgement generated by consciousness entropy regarding external objective processes. By contrast, virtual entropy is an internal entropy bias produced within consciousness entropy: an overestimation or underestimation of the true entropy level. This bias has no corresponding material entity in the external world and only subsists within subjective judgement. Virtual entropy is not merely a cognitive error. Such entropy bias serves as a functional mechanism for dissipative life forms and dissipative societies to reduce their local entropy. From predators setting traps and fish being lured by bait, to human constructions of aesthetics, ethics and religious narratives, the underlying dynamical logic is identical: constructing virtual-entropy lures that signal “forthcoming entropy reduction” to alter the behaviour of other agents, ultimately optimizing the entropy state of the dissipative agent itself. Humans have further developed active techniques to intervene in consciousness: information, chemical agents and physical stimuli artificially amplify judgement bias and generate virtual entropy on demand. Sci-fi films, anime depictions of imaginary worlds and cosmic scenarios are products of this class of virtual entropy. Psychoactive substances such as ephedrine, heroin and cocaine are archetypal examples: they directly perturb neural circuits and forcibly distort the baseline judgement of consciousness entropy to produce intense virtual-entropy hallucinations. Information input, chemical input and physical stimulation together form the channels for virtual-entropy generation. Consciousness entropy coupled with virtual entropy shapes the full spectrum of human mental activity and supplies a unified thermodynamic explanation for aesthetics, morality, belief, addiction, fantasy and artistic creation.
Author: Hu, Xijiang
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225757346
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