We propose that time is not a parameter on a manifold, not a dimension, not a coordinate: time is a locally finite partial order, and space is the incomparability relation it induces. From this single ontological postulate and two explicit physical identifications — λH = γ₄²/2 (the Higgs quartic equals the spectral gap squared over two) and v = MP exp (-c/g²) (Coleman-Weinberg radiative symmetry breaking) — we derive the complete algebraic structure of the Standard Model and its most important quantitative parameters. Derived algebraic structure: The Lorentzian metric, quantum linearity, the Born rule, CPT invariance, d = 3+1 spacetime dimensions, the gauge group SU (3) × SU (2) × U (1), all electric charges, three generations of 15 Weyl fermions, the Weinberg angle sin²θW = 3/8, proton stability, and the Higgs potential form. Derived numerical values: The Higgs mass mH = 125. 78 GeV (0. 54% from the measured 125. 10 GeV). The electroweak scale v = 240. 6 GeV (2. 3% from 246 GeV). The quark mass hierarchy shape ln (5-√7) /ln (5+√7) = 0. 421 vs. measured 0. 436 (3. 5%). The Cabibbo angle via the Fritzsch ansatz |Vᵤs| = 0. 224 vs. measured 0. 225 (0. 5%). The proton mass 941 MeV vs. measured 938. 27 MeV (0. 3%, with ΛQCD as the single dimensionful input). The near-vacuum excitation spectrum of the causal diamond: η (q) ⁻² in d = 2, connecting to classical partition theory and string theory via the Dedekind eta function. Four falsifiable predictions differing from the Standard Model: (1) θQCD = 0 without an axion — all axion searches should return null. (2) A P-sector dark matter scalar at ~126 GeV, testable at HL-LHC via invisible Higgs decays. (3) Black hole remnants at 6 MPlanck; black holes do not evaporate completely. (4) Lightest neutrino mass m₁ ≈ 5 μeV with normal mass ordering, testable by JUNO and CMB-S4. Formal verification: Every algebraic step is verified in Lean 4 across two repositories with zero sorry and zero custom axioms. Both physical identifications are machine-checked on both sides. The Hauptvermutung (the largest outstanding conjecture in causal set theory) is proven not to affect the strongest quantitative predictions. Relationship to prior work: The framework extends the Bombelli-Lee-Meyer-Sorkin causal set program (1987) with a sharpened ontology: the partial order is identified with time itself rather than treated as a model of a 4D manifold. This sharpening makes d = 4 a derivation (dₛpatial + 1) rather than an input. Version history: This version supersedes the earlier three-paper trilogy ("The Physics of Order, " "Fermion Mass Ratios, " "Exclusions and Predictions"). The key improvement is the spectral gap derivation of the Higgs mass, which replaces the earlier Monte Carlo holonomy computation (0. 54% vs. ~35% deviation), and the β = Nc = 3 derivation of the electroweak scale, which closes the lattice-matching gap of the previous version (2. 3% vs. 21% deviation).
Thomas DiFiore (Sun,) studied this question.