Selective Reality Theory (SRT): A Synthetic Framework Connecting Ontology, Cosmology, and Consciousness

This paper proposes the Selective Reality Theory (SRT), an interdisciplinary framework aimed at unifying the explanations of reality, cosmic evolution, and the origin of consciousness. SRT is founded on a tripartite ontological structure comprising Chaos (a purely undifferentiated source), Potential (a dynamic information field or "Pheromonal Landscape" carved from Chaos by "Universal Attention"), and Existence (the physical reality "actualized" from Potential by "Agents"). This paper argues that SRT's cosmology is driven by a "bidirectional synergistic mechanism": a "bottom-up" process of "Exploitation" (executed by Agents following information gradients, conforming to a Self-Organized Criticality model) and a "top-down" process of "Exploration" (a macro-level principle guiding the global evolution of the landscape). The theory further equates this macro "Selective Principle" mathematically with Karl Friston's "Free Energy Principle" (FEP). In the philosophy of mind, SRT positions consciousness as "Panprotopsychism," views qualia as the direct perception of value gradients within the "Pheromonal Landscape," and constructs a compatibilist model of free will. Crucially, this paper transcends pure metaphysical speculation by applying Popper's criterion of falsifiability, proposing three concrete, testable hypotheses derived from "experimental metaphysics," targeting SRT's ontological, cosmological, and philosophical-of-mind claims. SRT thus constitutes a rigorous "metaphysical research program" available for scientific verification.