This record extends the VASTIS framework (v1.1–v1.3) with an ethics formulation based on irreversible selection. Within VASTIS, system evolution is governed by ZIPP — an irreversible selection operator acting on a structured possibility space Ω. Since ZIPP cannot be prevented and prior states cannot be restored, ethical responsibility cannot lie in controlling outcomes. Instead, ethical action consists in shaping Ω before selection occurs. Ω is defined as a structured space of:S (states), R (relations), P (probabilities), and C (constraints). The central principle: Form Ω. Not the result. This reframes ethics from outcome-control to possibility-formation and has direct implications for AI system design, alignment research, and complex system governance. This version (v1.4) introduces the ethics extension as a coherent continuation of the VASTIS framework. All components are part of the VASTIS system and reference each other as a modular but coherent framework.
Brexner et al. (Sun,) studied this question.