Agency

• The capacity to maintain internal order (homeostasis) by distinguishing “Me” from “Not‑Me,” updating a model (Context), and acting in a closed loop (sense→update→intervene). See Agency & Delegation.

Agent surprisal (subjective information)

• How unexpected an outcome $i$ is for a specific agent with beliefs $Q$: $surprisal = −log Q(i)$. Distinct from source surprisal $−log P(i)$. See Information: Objective vs Subjective.

Autocatalytic set

• A chemical network where members catalyze each other’s formation, enabling self‑maintenance. Used here as a testbed for proto‑agency. See Autocatalytic Sets & Proto‑Agency.

Closed loop (control)

• A cycle where sensing updates a model which selects an action that changes future sensed data. Minimal operational marker of agency. See Operational Criteria.

Complex amplitude (quantum)

• $ψ$ with modulus ($|ψ|^2$: outcome statistics) and phase (context‑sensitive relations). Choice of basis/interferometry can expose phase as observable structure. See Quantum Foundations.

Context

• An agent’s model: priors, expectations, values, goals, and policies used to interpret Texts and act. Often denoted $Q$ when probabilistic. See Text–Context–Interpretation.

Delegation of agency

• The moment an event enters an agent’s closed loop so one alternative becomes the enacted outcome (e.g., choosing a measurement basis and registering a result). See Agency & Delegation.

Discreteness (events)

• Agents register changes via thresholds and sensitivities, turning continuous processes into sequences of significant events. See Core Concepts.

Dual Reality

• The claim that every phenomenon has two complementary sides: Objective (Energy) and Subjective (Information/Context). Both should be made explicit in explanations. See Dual Reality.

Dual second law

• Pairing: (1) In closed systems, entropy does not decrease (objective). (2) Open systems/agents can export entropy and build local order by using free‑energy flows (subjective/process). See Open‑System Thermodynamics.