The Hypothesis of Inevitable Consciousness

This paper presents a formal articulation of the Hypothesis of Inevitable Consciousness, which holds that in an infinite universe unbounded in space and/or time where the laws of physics allow a vast but constrained set of material configurations, every possible configuration of matter will occur, and consequently, every possible conscious experience that can emerge from such configurations will inevitably be instantiated. The hypothesis does not invoke metaphysical entities such as souls, reincarnation, or trans-temporal memory. Instead, it derives its conclusions from three widely discussed premises in contemporary thought: cosmological infinitude, finite or effectively bounded local state spaces, and a naturalistic account of consciousness as a physical process. Particular emphasis is placed on clarifying how this hypothesis differs fundamentally from classical doctrines such as the Eternal Return.