Selective Interaction: A Relational Framework for Understanding the Conceptual Divide Between General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

This essay develops a unifying philosophical framework grounded in a single foundational axiom: to exist is to interact. From this principle, the work explains how properties arise, how systems gain structure, and why complexity emerges across physics, mind, and society. The paper argues that interaction is not merely an event between objects but the very condition that makes objects intelligible at all. Properties are not intrinsic; they are the outcomes of selective interactions. Using this lens, the essay clarifies why foundational theories—especially general relativity and quantum mechanics—resist unification: spacetime geometry is sensitive only to mass-energy, while quantum systems depend on discrete, property-selective interactions. This mismatch reflects deeper differences in how each theory treats the relationship between existence and interaction. The framework developed here offers a conceptual map stretching from atoms to human values, showing how emergence, behavior, and meaning can be understood through a single organizing principle.