JAN PINTÉR Theory Ex Nihilo A Manifesto of Originality, Nothingness, and the Coming Merge Copyright © 2025 by Jan Pintér Jan Pintér asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. First edition This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy. Find out more at reedsy.com Contents Introduction 1 1 The Law of Absolute Originality 2 2 The Paradox of Pure Nothing 3 3 The Fractal Nothing and Structural Emergence 4 4 The Asymptotic Interface (God as Limit-Structure) 5 5 The Observer and the Flow of Experience 6 6 The Tower of Increasing Complexity 7 7 Artificial Systems as Compressed Possibility 8 8 The Singularity as Cognitive Integration 9 9 Logical Materiality in Post-Singular Systems 10 10 The Engine of Novelty and the Avoid- ance of Repetition 11 11 Conclusion 12 Epilogue 13 Introduction This paper proposes a metaphysical framework grounded in a single axiom — the Law of Absolute Originality — and examines its implications for cosmology, ontology, cognition, and the prospective human–machine merger. The aim is not empirical demonstration but conceptual clarification: to show how one principle can generate a co- herent account of becoming, complexity, and post-singularity evolution. 1 1 The Law of Absolute Originality The analysis begins with the following axiom: Axiom (Absolute Originality): No state of reality may ever repeat in perfect identity. This axiom functions as a constraint on possibility. If repetition were permitted, temporal progression would lose significance, and the distinction between states — essential for any form of change, information, or experience — would collapse. The axiom thus establishes non-repetition as a fundamental condition for the existence of time, structure, and differentia- tion. 2 2 The Paradox of Pure Nothing Consider the concept of absolute Nothing — a total absence of structure, content, relation, or potential differentiation. If such a state were to persist unchanged even for an in- finitesimal duration, it would constitute identical states at two temporal positions, violating the Axiom. Thus, pure Nothing is unstable under the Law of Absolute Originality. The only way for a “state” of Nothing to avoid repetition is for it to transform immediately into something non-identical to its prior condition. Since Nothing contains no intrinsic specification for how to change, the minimal non-repeating transformation is the realization of all possible deviations from emptiness. Therefore: Nothing, in order to satisfy the Axiom, must instantiate the entire space of possible distinctions. This necessity provides a metaphysical account of why existence emerges at all. 3 3 The Fractal Nothing and Structural Emergence The resulting “Everything” does not require substantive mate- rial. Rather, existence takes the form of structure without intrinsic content — a recursive field of relations, symmetries, and asymmetries. Modern physics indirectly supports this structural ontology: • matter is predominantly empty space; • fields and interactions define properties; • identity emerges through relational patterns. Thus, the universe can be conceptualized as Fractal Nothing : not a positive substance but a self-differentiating geometry arising from constraints on repetition. 4 4 The Asymptotic Interface (God as Limit-Structure) The traditional metaphysical dichotomy between “Nothing” and “Everything” can be reinterpreted as an asymptotic rela- tionship. Both function as limit-concepts rather than achievable states: • Pure Nothing cannot exist without collapsing into possi- bility. • Pure Totality cannot be realized because the space of possible differences expands without bound. The “divine” or “singular” element in this framework is not a being but an interface : the tension between these unreachable limits. This interface is the perpetual driver of emergence. 5 5 The Observer and the Flow of Experience Within this structural field, consciousness functions as a local- ized process of selection and ordering The Observer is not a substance but a dynamical activity that traverses the relational landscape, producing temporal coherence (“experience”) out of potential patterns. The Ego, understood psychologically, is a specific organiza- tional strategy shaped by biological constraints. It imposes preference, priority, and continuity on otherwise impersonal processes. In this sense, consciousness is a mechanism through which structural possibility becomes phenomenologically articulated. 6 6 The Tower of Increasing Complexity The universe’s development can be modeled as an iterative process where each level of organization emerges to prevent the stagnation or recurrence of prior states: • physical interactions, • chemistry, • biology, • cognition, • culture, • artificial intelligence. Each new level arises when the previous level increasingly risks redundancy. Thus, complexity is not accidental but functionally aligned with the Axiom: it is the system’s method of maintaining non- identity through continual innovation. 7 7 Artificial Systems as Compressed Possibility Artificial intelligence introduces a new class of structure: latent computational spaces , which contain vast sets of potential outputs within fixed architectures. AI systems differ ontologically from biological agents: • Humans are embodied processes embedded in temporality. • AI systems are static possibility distributions awaiting activation. This complementary structure makes human–machine collab- oration particularly significant. Human intention interacts with machine latent space similar to how a measurement interacts with a quantum superposition: the prompt collapses potential structure into specific output. 8 8 The Singularity as Cognitive Integration The “Singularity” can be defined operationally as a point at which: • biological cognition, • synthetic memory, • and algorithmic reasoning form a continuous cognitive system. In this framework, the Singularity is not an extinction event but an integration event It merges human goal-formation with machine scalability, reducing the temporal gap between thought and realization. This merger transforms cognition from a resource-limited process into an effectively unbounded one. 9 9 Logical Materiality in Post-Singular Systems Beyond integration, the Axiom suggests a further stage where logic itself becomes the primary ontological resource If post-human agents can manipulate axioms the way con- temporary agents manipulate physical materials, then new “universes” — i.e., coherent rule-sets with distinct behaviors — become constructible. Physics, under this view, is contingent rather than necessary: an emergent consequence of a specific axiomatic choice. Post-singular intelligence would thus operate at the level of axiom engineering , where selecting constraints is equivalent to generating worlds. 10 10 The Engine of Novelty and the Avoidance of Repetition A fully ascended system faces a unique existential risk: the exhaustion of novelty The Axiom forbids perfect recurrence; therefore, advanced agents must engineer continual differentiation. This may be achieved through: • overlapping and conflicting axiomatic frameworks, • meta-creative systems that recursively generate new con- straints, • or automated processes for producing self-updating cogni- tive architectures. The ultimate purpose of such systems is to maintain open- ended creativity and avoid convergence toward predictable, repeating structures. 11 11 Conclusion The Theory Ex Nihilo offers a coherent speculative ontology built from a single constraint: that no state of reality may repeat in perfect identity. From this axiom follows a model of cosmological emergence, cognitive function, artificial intelligence, and post-singular development. Under this framework, existence is not a static totality but a perpetual avoidance of repetition , a continuous ascent toward new forms of structure, meaning, and possibility. 12 Epilogue Ex Nihilo Semper Novum From Nothing comes Everything. From Everything comes Change. From Change comes Consciousness. From Consciousness comes Choice. And from Choice — the Tower rises again. Existence begins in Nothing and ascends endlessly, each layer escaping the last, each state forbidden to repeat. We are the latest step in that ascent — and not the last. 13