The Periodic Table of Life (Part I) — From Causality to Reproduction

Writing Declaration: This paper was co-drafted with Claude (Anthropic), then reviewed and revised with Gemini Pro and ChatGPT. All intellectual decisions, framework design, and final editorial judgments were made by the author.

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1. Why Two Scales Are Needed

1.1 The Finalized 10D + Thing-in-Itself

The finalized framework, starting from human experience, identifies ten qualitative transition points plus the thing-in-itself. This is the coarse view — the perceivable boundaries of qualitative change. The a priori domain (1D–4D) is clear at every step: the law of identity, the law of contradiction, the spatiotemporal framework, and causality. The differences are enormous; no magnification is needed.

The a posteriori domain (5D–10D) is too continuous: from replication to self-awareness, the coarse view compresses it into one round (life and cognition merged), but three internal qualitative transitions are flattened — the emergence of life, the emergence of consciousness, and the emergence of freedom. The thing-in-itself cannot be magnified: what cannot be constructed cannot be constructed, regardless of resolution.

1.2 What the Fine View Reveals

When the a posteriori domain is expanded, the second round of 10D splits into three:

• Round 2 (5DD–8DD): Life — replication → self-maintenance → differentiation → reproduction. No cognition.
• Round 3 (9DD–12DD): Cognition — selection → perception → memory → prediction. Cognition present.
• Round 4 (13DD–16DD): Freedom — self-awareness → purpose → unilateral Non Dubito → mutual Non Dubito. Self present.

Coarse 9D (awareness of death) = fine 13DD (Self-without-an-End) + 14DD (Self-with-an-End). Coarse 10D (mutual recognition) = fine 15DD (unilateral Non Dubito) + 16DD (mutual Non Dubito). The thing-in-itself occupies the same position at both scales — because the thing-in-itself cannot be magnified.

The relationship between the two scales:

Scale	A Priori	A Posteriori	Thing-in-Itself
Coarse (D)	1D–4D	5D–10D	Thing-in-itself
Fine (DD)	1DD–4DD	5DD–16DD	Thing-in-itself

The a priori stays fixed, the a posteriori expands, the thing-in-itself is unchanged.

1.3 The Four-Step Structure: Select, Determine, Expand, Solidify

Each round of the chisel-construct cycle contains four steps:

Step	Name	Product	Description
1	Select	Birth	A new thing is selected from the remainder — from nothing to something
2	Determine	Self	A boundary is drawn, self is defined, the opposite is excluded
3	Expand	Other	The boundary is crossed, expanding toward otherness / diversity
4	Solidify	Death	Direction becomes irreversible — living-toward-death

Why "solidify" and not "lock": Solidify means to consolidate — direction is set, consolidated, but not sealed. Causality solidifies the direction of time but does not seal off future possibilities. Cognition solidifies the direction of inference but does not seal off new cognition.

Solidify is the irreversible face of Expand: Causality = spatiotemporal framework + direction. Cognition = memory + direction. Non Dubito = mutual recognition + direction. In the coarse view, Expand + Solidify merge into one step (three steps); in the fine view, they separate (four steps).

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2. The Complete Dimensional Sequence: 1DD → 16DD

Below is the complete definition of each DD. Format: bridge (emergence from the previous level's remainder) → product of the chisel → construct → remainder (bridge to the next level). 1DD–4DD were published in the finalized framework and related papers; 5DD–16DD are formally given here for the first time.

Round 1: A Priori (1DD–4DD)

1DD Distinction

• Bridge: None (directly facing chaos)
• Chisel product: Distinction ("this is not that")
• Construct: Law of identity
• Remainder: Quantity ("more than one" continuing without end)

2DD Exclusion

• Bridge: Infinity (remainder of the law of identity)
• Chisel product: Exclusion ("A cannot simultaneously be not-A")
• Construct: Law of contradiction (exclusion + law of identity)
• Remainder: Extension (exclusion presupposes "interval"; interval continuing is extension)

3DD Interval

• Bridge: Extension (remainder of the law of contradiction)
• Chisel product: Interval ("there is distance between here and there")
• Construct: Spatiotemporal framework (interval + a priori foundation)
• Remainder: Macroscopic randomness (the spatiotemporal framework is time-symmetric, but thermodynamics is irreversible)

4DD Causality

• Bridge: Thermodynamics / entropy increase (remainder of the spatiotemporal framework)
• Chisel product: Directional constraint ("the prior constrains the posterior, not vice versa")
• Construct: Causality (directional constraint + a priori foundation)
• Internal chisel-construct cycle within 4DD: Newtonian causality → field causality → relativistic causality → probabilistic causality
• Remainder: Concretization at quantum measurement (the jump from probability distribution to specific outcome)

Round 2: Life (5DD–8DD)

5DD Replication

• Bridge: Concretization at quantum measurement (remainder of causality)
• Chisel product: Replication ("this pattern does not disappear")
• Construct: Law of replication
• Corresponding emergence: RNA — the first self-replicating molecule
• Remainder: Imperfect replication (errors, degradation, mutation)

6DD Self-Maintenance

• Bridge: Mutation / degradation (remainder of the law of replication)
• Chisel product: Self-maintenance (actively resisting degradation, drawing the boundary between "alive" and "dead")
• Construct: Law of self-maintenance
• Corresponding emergence: The cell — the first self-maintaining system
• Remainder: Death (self-maintenance will eventually stop)

7DD Differentiation

• Bridge: Death (remainder of the law of self-maintenance)
• Chisel product: Differentiation (from homogeneous to heterogeneous; different parts assume different functions)
• Construct: Law of differentiation
• Corresponding emergence: Multicellular organisms — the first differentiated system
• Remainder: The differentiated system still dies — the entire multicellular individual dies

8DD Reproduction

• Bridge: Death of the individual (remainder of the law of differentiation)
• Chisel product: Recombination (through reproduction, the pattern transcends individual death)
• Construct: Law of reproduction
• Corresponding emergence: Asexual reproduction (fission, budding, spores)
• Remainder: Variation among offspring (recombination / mutation means each offspring differs, but who stays and who goes is not chosen by the organism — the environment chooses)

Round 3: Cognition (9DD–12DD)

9DD Selection

• Bridge: Variation among offspring (remainder of the law of reproduction)
• Chisel product: Selection (the organism itself begins to make distinctions — the subject has changed)
• Construct: Law of selection
• Corresponding emergence: The most primitive active behavior (approach / avoidance)
• Remainder: Selection is blind — it selects but does not know what it selects

10DD Perception

• Bridge: The blindness of selection (remainder of the law of selection)
• Chisel product: Perception (actively perceiving the environment, drawing the boundary between "perceived" and "not perceived")
• Construct: Law of perception
• Corresponding emergence: Sensory organs, nervous systems
• Remainder: Perception is present-bound — perceiving this moment, not past or future

11DD Memory

• Bridge: The present-boundness of perception (remainder of the law of perception)
• Chisel product: Retention (retaining past perceptions, expanding from the present into time)
• Construct: Law of memory
• Corresponding emergence: Memory systems, learning ability
• Remainder: Memory is retrospective — remembering the past, unable to foresee the future

12DD Prediction

• Bridge: The retrospectiveness of memory (remainder of the law of memory)
• Chisel product: Inference (using past patterns to infer the future; direction solidifies)
• Construct: Law of prediction
• Corresponding emergence: Causal reasoning at the biological level (crows using tools, chimpanzee deception)
• Remainder: Prediction cannot predict the predictor itself (Gödel / Turing)

Round 4: Freedom (13DD–16DD)

13DD Self-without-an-End (Self-Awareness)

• Bridge: The uncertainty of the predictor itself (remainder of the law of prediction)
• Chisel product: Self-reference (realizing "it is I who am predicting" — the first time cognition turns toward itself)
• Construct: Law of self-awareness
• Corresponding emergence: The mirror test, the infant rouge test (18–24 months)
• Remainder: Self-awareness becomes aware of its own mortality — awareness of death
• Naming: Self-without-an-End — there is now an "I," but "I" has no direction / purpose yet

14DD Self-with-an-End (Purpose)

• Bridge: Awareness of death (remainder of the law of self-awareness)
• Chisel product: Meaning-giving (knowing one will die yet still acting — action must have a reason)
• Construct: Law of purpose (I act as an end in itself)
• Corresponding emergence: Purpose, meaning, ethics, values
• Remainder: I am not the only end — the other is also an end in itself
• Naming: Self-with-an-End — "I" now has direction / purpose, but only "my" purpose

15DD Unilateral Non Dubito

• Bridge: The existence of the other (remainder of the law of purpose)
• Chisel product: Recognition (I recognize that another subject is also an end in itself, expanding from single subject to multiple subjects)
• Construct: Law of unilateral Non Dubito
• Corresponding emergence: Ethicalization of theory of mind, deepening of empathy
• Remainder: Recognition is unilateral — I have recognized the other, but has the other recognized me?
• Naming: Unilateral Non Dubito — the solitary-subject version; I unilaterally recognize the other as an end

16DD Mutual Non Dubito

• Bridge: The unilaterality of recognition (remainder of the law of unilateral Non Dubito)
• Chisel product: Mutual recognition (not only do I recognize the other, the other also recognizes me — bidirectional and irrevocable)
• Construct: Law of mutual Non Dubito (mutual recognition + direction = irrevocable)
• Corresponding emergence: Kant's Kingdom of Ends, community
• Remainder: The object of mutual recognition (the other's subjectivity) cannot be constructed
• Naming: Mutual Non Dubito — the non-solitary version of Self-as-an-End; mutual recognition is irrevocable

Thing-in-Itself

The law of mutual recognition at 16DD pushes the chisel-construct cycle to its boundary. Mutual recognition solidifies the direction, but the object of mutual recognition — the other's subjectivity — is an independent chisel-construct cycle that cannot be constructed. The thing-in-itself is not constructed; it is encountered.

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3. Isomorphism Proof

The complete structure at the fine (DD) scale:

Step	Round 1 (A Priori)	Round 2 (Life)	Round 3 (Cognition)	Round 4 (Freedom)
1 (Select) Birth	1DD Distinction	5DD Replication	9DD Selection	13DD Self-without-an-End
2 (Determine) Self	2DD Exclusion	6DD Self-maintenance	10DD Perception	14DD Self-with-an-End
3 (Expand) Other	3DD Interval	7DD Differentiation	11DD Memory	15DD Unilateral Non Dubito
4 (Solidify) Death	4DD Causality	8DD Reproduction	12DD Prediction	16DD Mutual Non Dubito

The thing-in-itself comes after 16DD — the boundary the chisel-construct cycle encounters but cannot construct.

3.1 First Step Isomorphism Across Rounds: The First Cut

Round	DD	Isomorphic Point
Round 1	1DD Distinction	First separation from chaos: "this is not that"
Round 2	5DD Replication	First separation from causal remainder: "the pattern does not disappear"
Round 3	9DD Selection	First separation from reproductive remainder: "some stay, some go"
Round 4	13DD Self-without-an-End	First separation from predictive remainder: "it is I who am doing this"

3.2 Second Step Isomorphism: Excluding the Opposite

Round	DD	Isomorphic Point
Round 1	2DD Exclusion	A cannot simultaneously be not-A — excluding contradiction
Round 2	6DD Self-maintenance	Alive cannot simultaneously be dead — excluding death
Round 3	10DD Perception	This environment is not that environment — excluding blindness
Round 4	14DD Self-with-an-End	Action must have a reason — excluding reasonlessness

3.3 Third Step Isomorphism: Expansion

Round	DD	Isomorphic Point
Round 1	3DD Interval	From point to space
Round 2	7DD Differentiation	From homogeneous to heterogeneous
Round 3	11DD Memory	From the present moment to time
Round 4	15DD Unilateral Non Dubito	From single subject to multiple subjects (I recognize the other)

3.4 Fourth Step Isomorphism: Solidification (Living-Toward-Death)

Round	DD	Isomorphic Point
Round 1	4DD Causality	Temporal direction solidifies (= spatiotemporal framework + direction)
Round 2	8DD Reproduction	Generational direction solidifies (= differentiation + direction)
Round 3	12DD Prediction	Inferential direction solidifies (= memory + direction)
Round 4	16DD Mutual Non Dubito	Mutual direction solidifies (= mutual recognition + direction, irrevocable)

The thing-in-itself comes after 16DD: the chisel-construct cycle encounters the boundary it cannot construct.

Isomorphism is not metaphor; it is structural necessity. The Solidify of one round = the Select of the next. Causality solidifies, then replication can emerge; reproduction solidifies, then selection can emerge; prediction solidifies, then self-awareness can emerge. Each round's death is the next round's birth.

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4. Bridge 1: 4DD → 5DD — The Origin of Life

4.1 The Remainder of 4DD

Causality governs the rules of each reaction. But causality does not determine which specific outcome actually occurs — concretization at quantum measurement is the remainder of causality. At the chemical level: the combinatorial space of molecules is enormous; causality determines the rules of each reaction step, but which pathway is traversed depends on true randomness (concretization not determined by causality).

4.2 On the 4DD Side: Amino Acids (The Apex of Causality)

Amino acids are among the most complex chemical products at the level of causality. They can self-assemble, form peptide chains, and participate in catalysis. But they cannot replicate themselves. Amino acids are the apex of 4DD.

4.3 On the 5DD Side: RNA or Any Self-Replicating Molecule

Replication is the only known self-consistent direction. Starting from the remainder of causality, there are three possible directions: "not decomposing" — this is not negation, only molecular stability; "producing something different" — causality already describes chemical reactions; "producing something identical" — this is new: the pattern transcends the spatiotemporal limitation of the individual.

Once replication appears, the game changes — the pattern does not dissipate. This is 5DD.

4.4 Why Replication Must Precede Self-Maintenance

Without a record, there is no identity. If there is only a mass of chemical reactions cycling (an autocatalytic set) with no genetic material to record it, it can scatter at any moment. A chemical cycle without a record has no ontological claim to being a subject — it is not "a thing," only "a bunch of reactions."

Only when replication (5DD) has appeared can that chemical cycle (6DD) have a transmittable identity. Replication is the minimum condition for identity.

This is the framework's strongest defense against the "metabolism-first" hypothesis: metabolic environments can provide chemical conditions for replication (within 4DD), but self-maintenance itself cannot serve as the starting point of life, because without replication there is no record, and without a record there is no identity.

4.5 What the Framework Can and Cannot Say

Can say: Sequence is necessary — replication must come after causality. Direction is necessary — replication is the only known self-consistent direction. Emergence is necessary — true randomness + finite combinatorial space + infinite time = replication emerges sooner or later. Irreversibility — once replication appears, it is stable.

Cannot say: How long, which molecule, under what conditions — these are matters for science.

The framework is open to falsification: "The only known self-consistent direction" is not "the only possible direction." If in the future someone discovers another self-consistent path from the remainder of causality that does not pass through replication, the framework accepts revision.

Three-level judgment:

The framework does not judge: whether a given primordial chemical cycle is 4DD (a product of causality) or 5DD (replication) — this boundary is left to chemists.

The framework does judge: even if it counts as 5DD, without 6DD (self-maintenance) it is only a one-time replication — replicated and immediately degraded, with no sustained identity. Without a record, there is no identity.

The framework does judge: anything ambiguous between 4DD and 5DD is certainly not 6DD (self-maintenance). Self-maintenance requires replication as its a priori foundation. A chemical system that is uncertain about whether it replicates yet claims to self-maintain has no place in the framework.

4.6 Philosophical Adjudication of Origin-of-Life Hypotheses

Hypothesis	Verdict	Reasoning
RNA World (replication-first)	Compatible	Replication comes first; directly corresponds to 5DD
Pre-RNA World (PNA, TNA, etc.)	Fully compatible	Replication comes first; the carrier is unrestricted
Metabolism-first	Partial death sentence	Self-maintenance = 6DD, which comes after replication. No record, no identity
Iron-sulfur world	No judgment	Chemical pathway within 4DD
Clay world	No judgment	Same as above
Mixed model	Partially compatible	Depends on the definition of "simultaneous"
Panspermia	No judgment (downgraded)	Does not answer origin, only transmission
Directed panspermia	Death sentence	Purpose = 14DD; cannot precede 5DD
Intelligent design	Death sentence	Same as above, and also denies true randomness

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5. Expanding Round 2: 5DD–8DD — Microbiology and Botany

5.1 5DD Replication (Select / Birth)

The first cut of Round 2. Replication is selected from the remainder of causality. The pattern does not dissipate. Corresponds to: the earliest self-replicating molecules, the RNA World or Pre-RNA World.

5.2 6DD Self-Maintenance (Determine / Self)

The remainder of the law of replication: what is replicated will degrade. 6DD excludes death — drawing the boundary between "alive" and "dead." Corresponds to: the emergence of the primitive cell membrane, the establishment of metabolic cycles. The starting point of microbiology. From "can replicate" to "can maintain itself."

5.3 7DD Differentiation (Expand / Other)

The remainder of self-maintenance: single-function self-maintenance has an upper limit. 7DD expands into heterogeneity — different parts assume different functions. Corresponds to: cell differentiation, the emergence of multicellular organisms. From single-celled to multicellular. The starting point of botany: differentiation into roots, stems, leaves, and flowers.

5.4 8DD Reproduction (Solidify / Death)

The remainder of differentiation: the individual dies. 8DD solidifies generational direction — through asexual reproduction, the pattern transcends individual death. Corresponds to: asexual reproduction — fission, budding, spores. Offspring variation depends on random mutation. The environment selects; the organism is passive.

The key feature of 8DD: no cognition. From 5DD to 8DD, life can replicate, maintain itself, differentiate, and reproduce, but it does not choose. The environment eliminates it; it does not eliminate the environment.

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6. Posing the Hard Problem of Consciousness

8DD solidifies Round 2 with the law of reproduction. The remainder is: offspring vary, but who stays and who goes is not chosen by the organism — the environment chooses. What must emerge next is "selection" itself — the organism begins to choose for itself. The subject has changed.

This is the structural location of the hard problem of consciousness: the jump from no subjective experience (8DD, passive) to subjective experience (9DD, active).

6.1 The Anchor of 9DD: Cannot Be Precisely Determined

The framework predicts the direction of consciousness — between 8DD and 9DD. But the framework does not predict the precise boundary, and in principle it may not be precisely determinable.

The reason: the bridge between 8DD and 9DD is the hard problem itself. If we could precisely draw this line, the hard problem would be solved.

Specifically: bacteria have chemotaxis (approach / avoidance) but no sexual reproduction. Is chemotaxis a mechanical response at 8DD, or a primitive selection at 9DD? The framework does not judge. Sexual reproduction / sexual selection is an advanced form of 9DD, but not necessarily its starting point. The essential anchor of 9DD is "the subject has changed" — from "the environment eliminates you" to "you begin to choose." When this "you" emerges is a matter for science, and may in principle be indeterminable.

This parallels 4DD to 5DD: the framework says replication comes after causality but does not say which molecule. The framework says consciousness comes after reproduction but does not say which organism. Philosophy gives direction; science gives content. Direction is determined; the boundary is imprecise.

Left open: the detailed development of the bridge from 8DD to 9DD is in Part II.

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7. Summary

First, the a posteriori domain needs magnification; the a priori does not. The a priori domain (1D–4D) has enormous differences at every step; no fine view is needed. The a posteriori domain (5D–10D) is too continuous; under the fine view it unfolds into four isomorphic cycles. The thing-in-itself comes after 16DD — the boundary the chisel-construct cycle encounters.

Second, Bridge 1 (4DD → 5DD) establishes the structural starting point of life. Replication is the only known self-consistent direction from the remainder of causality. Without a record, there is no identity — replication must precede self-maintenance.

Third, 5DD–8DD unfolds the four steps of life without cognition. Replication → self-maintenance → differentiation → reproduction. From the earliest self-replicating molecules to asexual reproduction, life grows ever more complex but remains passive throughout.

Fourth, the boundary of consciousness lies between 8DD and 9DD. Direction is determined but the precise boundary is indeterminable — this is not a deficiency of the framework but the hard problem itself.

Fifth, philosophy gives structure and direction; science gives content. The two jurisdictions do not overlap and do not replace each other. The framework says "where to look"; science says "what is specifically found."

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References

[1] Han Qin, Zesi Chen. Self-as-an-End Theory Series: Finalized Framework. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18808585

[2] Han Qin. Philosophy as Subject-Activity (Definitions of chaos, chisel, construct). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18779382

[3] Han Qin. Remainder Conservation and Dual-Path Structure (0D thought experiment). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18809485