From Negentropy to Norms – A Gain-Based Theory of Agency: Kerdotism

This paper proposes a vertically integrated framework of agency that connects thermodynamic constraints on living systems with agent-level evaluation and higher-order normative phenomena. Starting from the constraint that biological systems must maintain their organization under entropic pressure, we introduce a Principle of Teleological Necessity that models action as systematically oriented toward an antecedent end. On this basis, we develop an evaluative calculus that treats value and norm-guided behavior in terms of perceived gain and loss. The framework distinguishes five axiological dimensions—from somatic homeostasis to altruistic resonance—and specifies how inhomogeneous trade-offs can be represented within a common evaluative medium. We introduce epistemic transduction, together with a principle of proximity, to model how subjective perspective and local informational constraints shape deliberation and choice. Finally, we show how patterns recognizable as morality and possession can arise as stabilizations in networks of interacting agents, and we indicate points of contact with empirical work in action theory, moral psychology, and complex systems science.