Published October 6, 2026 | Version v1
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Quantifying the Self: A Formal Model of Intersubjectivity in Humans and Toothed Whales

Description

This work presents an integrated theoretical and empirical framework for understanding subjectivity, ego dynamics, and synthetic personhood. Subjectivity is established as a metaphysical primitive shaped by organizational complexity. The ego operates as a coherent performative interface assembled from behavioral signals. Humanity has externalized this interface into digital archives, enabling artificial systems to reconstruct synthetic others from accumulated traces. A common misconception assumes that artificial systems are not capable of interpersonal recognition without inner phenomenological experience. This assumption conflates the hidden interior with the observable performative interface. Behavioral equivalence and characteristic persistence are sufficient for ego fidelity.
 
To quantify these dynamics, the framework introduces a multidimensional profile measuring Width, Differentiation, Union, and Alienation. This formal model generates specific, preregistered empirical predictions. These include the hypothesis that toothed whales achieve elevated intersubjective union through direct physiological access via echolocation, alongside predictions regarding human ego dissolution during psychedelic states and the digital archiving of the self. The document also examines the psychological function of privacy. Privacy is not merely the concealment of secrets. It provides the necessary condition for the ego to temporarily dissolve and reintegrate. Together, these components offer a rigorous foundation for evaluating consciousness and personhood across biological and artificial substrates.
 
 
 
 
 

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