Prigoginian informational dissipation (PID) as the cause of the emergence of a proto-self

Abstract

This study introduces a theoretical framework where consciousness emerges as a consequence of Prigoginian Informational Dissipation (PID), a dynamic process through which information arises in far-from-equilibrium systems. By modelling particle interactions governed by dissipative feedback, the work demonstrates how structure, memory, and complexity evolve, culminating in a proto-self represented by the system centroid. This centroid transitions from a statistical average to an informational attractor, embodying recursive feedback and autopoietic coherence. The analysis incorporates entropy metrics, Lyapunov exponents, and nonlinear dynamics to trace the system trajectory from order to chaos. Results support the hypothesis that informational dissipation underlies the genesis of cognitive and self-organizing systems. Unlike prior models treating information as pre-existent, this approach frames it as emergent, situating cognition and consciousness within thermodynamic and information-theoretic processes. The findings advance an integrative view of life and mind, positing that consciousness arises not from structure alone, but from recursive stabilization of information in dissipative systems.