The Evolution of Code from Collapse: A Theory of Oscillatory Symbol Genesis

We introduce a physical theory of symbolic code emergence grounded in oscillatory coherence dynamics, offering a new explanation for how meaning, memory, and language arise from collapse events in dynamical systems. Unlike standard genetic or computational models that assume pre-existing syntactic rules, we show how symbolic structure naturally arises from repeated, structured failures of phase coherence. Drawing from Kolmogorov complexity, bioelectric patterning, and nonergodic dynamics, we argue that codes are frozen memories of collapse events—compressions of repeated decoherence under bounded phase geometries. A collapse pattern is only meaningful to the extent that it becomes describable with fewer bits than its uncompressed representation. This transition from noise to symbol is the Kolmogorov threshold of code emergence. Our theory explains not only the origin of biological codes (e.g., the genetic code), but also the emergence of semantic layers in neural systems, artificial intelligence, and potentially cosmological constants. We argue that codes are entropy-minimizing parasites—stabilizing local structure by feeding on dynamical richness. Building on Levin’s framework of ingressing patterns, we show how codes represent a specific class of physical manifestation resulting from constrained phase collapse when Platonic patterns interface with material systems. Our model reframes symbol formation as a thermodynamic compromise between predictability and adaptability, with profound implications for understanding life, consciousness, and the apparent fine-tuning of physical laws.