This paper proposes that space, time, and physical dimension are not fundamental properties ofreality. They are composite outputs of a single primitive operation: the encode-decode boundaryevent. At every scale — from the quantum field to the biological sensor to the planetary structureto the cosmological horizon — one operation runs continuously: a continuous field on one side ofa boundary encodes into a discrete signal, which decodes on the other side. Space is the encodelatency between coupled boundaries. Time is the decode latency of the same cycle. Dimensionsare the degrees of freedom of the boundary. The primitive operation is shown to be self-causedthrough a bootstrap structure requiring no external first cause. Six axioms are derived from theoperation, not assumed. A specific account of dark energy is derived without new particles orforces. The sphere is identified as the universal encode-decode geometry enforced by physics atevery scale. Human abstraction is proposed as the thermalization pathway for unresolvedcognitive mismatch in intelligent systems. Scientific discovery is proposed as the universecrystallizing new local descriptions of itself through observation positions that reachthermodynamic threshold. Five falsifiable predictions are stated explicitly.
Patel Kunal (Wed,) studied this question.