From Coherence to Consequent Nature: A Formal Approach to Process-Relational Theology

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Autore principale: Leonhardt, Mathias
Natura: Recurso digital
Lingua:inglese
Pubblicazione: Zenodo 2026
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author Leonhardt, Mathias
author_facet Leonhardt, Mathias
contents <p>We present a formal axiom system C5 for agent-relative value theory, grounded in the concept of coherence as constraint satisfaction over relational structures. Modeling coherence as a quadratic form, we establish six main results: (1) coherence-seeking agents under projected gradient dynamics converge monotonically to locally optimal states; (2) a continuous-time gradient flow formulation with Lyapunov stability, establishing that coherence attractors are asymptotically stable equilibria; (3) global coherence maximization is NP-hard under the binary restriction (by reduction from Max-Cut), providing formal support for Bedau’s (1997) criterion that weakly emergent properties admit no general analytic shortcut; (4) the coherence landscape generically supports multiple stable attractors with path-dependent convergence; (5) spectral criteria for attractor stability derived from the coherence matrix; and (6) a replicator dynamics for aggregation weights, replacing the stipulated weights of prior versions with emergent, coherence-driven selection. The aggregation mechanism can either stipulate weights or derive them dynamically via replicator dynamics, where average coherence increases monotonically.</p> <p>As an application, we develop a structural mapping to process philosophy (Whitehead, 1929), demonstrating that certain non-personal “God-concepts”—in particular Whitehead’s consequent nature and Spinoza’s Deus sive Natura—admit formal reconstruction as emergent coherence attractors, doubly emergent in both structure and weighting. This mapping is compatible with recent work on emergent moral properties (Baysan, 2025).</p> <p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">Working paper — pre-conference draft. Accepted for presentation at the European Academy of Religion (EuARe) 2026, Philosophy of Religion panel, Rome, 2 July</span><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>2026 (Session 155, paper ID 1395). Not yet peer-reviewed; comments welcome.</span></em></p>
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language eng
publishDate 2026
publisher Zenodo
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spellingShingle From Coherence to Consequent Nature: A Formal Approach to Process-Relational Theology
Leonhardt, Mathias
coherence theory
NP-hardness
Lyapunov stability
process ontology
Whitehead
replicator dynamics
weak emergence
computational complexity
value aggregation
process philosophy
structural theology
non-personal God-concepts
Spinoza
<p>We present a formal axiom system C5 for agent-relative value theory, grounded in the concept of coherence as constraint satisfaction over relational structures. Modeling coherence as a quadratic form, we establish six main results: (1) coherence-seeking agents under projected gradient dynamics converge monotonically to locally optimal states; (2) a continuous-time gradient flow formulation with Lyapunov stability, establishing that coherence attractors are asymptotically stable equilibria; (3) global coherence maximization is NP-hard under the binary restriction (by reduction from Max-Cut), providing formal support for Bedau’s (1997) criterion that weakly emergent properties admit no general analytic shortcut; (4) the coherence landscape generically supports multiple stable attractors with path-dependent convergence; (5) spectral criteria for attractor stability derived from the coherence matrix; and (6) a replicator dynamics for aggregation weights, replacing the stipulated weights of prior versions with emergent, coherence-driven selection. The aggregation mechanism can either stipulate weights or derive them dynamically via replicator dynamics, where average coherence increases monotonically.</p> <p>As an application, we develop a structural mapping to process philosophy (Whitehead, 1929), demonstrating that certain non-personal “God-concepts”—in particular Whitehead’s consequent nature and Spinoza’s Deus sive Natura—admit formal reconstruction as emergent coherence attractors, doubly emergent in both structure and weighting. This mapping is compatible with recent work on emergent moral properties (Baysan, 2025).</p> <p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">Working paper — pre-conference draft. Accepted for presentation at the European Academy of Religion (EuARe) 2026, Philosophy of Religion panel, Rome, 2 July</span><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>2026 (Session 155, paper ID 1395). Not yet peer-reviewed; comments welcome.</span></em></p>
title From Coherence to Consequent Nature: A Formal Approach to Process-Relational Theology
topic coherence theory
NP-hardness
Lyapunov stability
process ontology
Whitehead
replicator dynamics
weak emergence
computational complexity
value aggregation
process philosophy
structural theology
non-personal God-concepts
Spinoza
url https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19685106