The Thread of Life Theorem: A Process-Ontological and Physicalist Framework of Diachronic Personal Identity

Classical paradigms of personal identity consistently collapse into irreconcilable paradoxes by framing human consciousness either as a static physical object (Animal- ism) or as a disembodied, transferable information file (Pattern Theory). This paper presents The Thread of Life Theorem, a physicalist and process-ontological framework asserting that numerical personal identity (I) is neither pure matter nor abstract data, but a singular, four-dimensional braided physical process traversing spacetime along a continuous worldline. Personal identity is defined as an unbroken braid woven from three interdependent physical strands: the Substrate Strand (H), the Topological Strand (Sw), and the Monolithic Runtime Strand (R). By establishing that runtime is a single, lifelong execution loop that undergoes phase transitions between active awareness (Ractive) and structural suspension (Rsuspended) anchored by resting membrane potentials, the theorem demonstrates that any event inducing complete structural entropy (Rcollapsed =⊥) permanently severs the thread. Through rigorous mathematical, philosophical, and information-theoretic proofs, this paper resolves classic identity puzzles—including Parfit’s teleporter, in-situ dematerialization, severe neurotrauma, brain fission/fusion, and Moravec mind uploading—without generating internal contradictions or violating physical laws.