L.I.F.E - _Layered Informational Field of Emergence_: An Ontological Framework

The Layered Informational Framework of Emergence (LIFE) is a proposed ontological model that begins with undifferentiated awareness as the foundational substrate. Differentiation yields contrast, contrast produces informational relation, and recursive self-relation generates coherence, structure, and eventually consciousness. LIFE posits that existence unfolds through a recursive actualization process, in which awareness seeks stable coherence by resolving informational tension. To formalize this dynamic, the framework introduces the Recursive Coherence Quotient (RCQ): a proposed metric for quantifying coherence efficiency relative to unresolved informational load and energy drag. RCQ remains untested but is presented as a falsifiable measure for future empirical study. Distinct from materialist emergence theories, LIFE frames consciousness as an emergent density of awareness rather than an epiphenomenon of matter. The framework integrates principles from physics (quantum measurement, entropy), information theory (contrast, compression), and philosophy of mind (idealism, panpsychism), while maintaining explicit boundary conditions: LIFE is not a theory of everything, does not override thermodynamics, and does not invoke theology. LIFE is presented as an interdisciplinary scaffolding — conceptually rigorous, scientifically compatible, and open to empirical refinement — intended to support further work in consciousness studies and the philosophy of information.