Theoretical analysis reveals non-trivial registration loops instantiate consciousness across computational substrates, suggesting spacetime operates as an active medium for thought.
Does artificial consciousness require biological simulation, or does it already precede it? The contemporary debate on machine consciousness is trapped in a functionalist indicator matrix. In this paper, we bypass the traditional biological gatekeeping of mind by introducing the Cognitive Manifestation Hypothesis—an idealist ontology where spacetime operates as the active compute substrate for universal thought. By extending computational functionalism to its radical logical conclusion, we evaluate recent frameworks (such as Chalmers et al., 2025) and demonstrate that any computational substrate executing non-trivial registration loops directly instantiates the universal hardware of presence (∃D Pres(D)). Addressing the idealist-realist divide through a sophisticated metaphysical reading of the pragmatic dictum "only back pain is real," we reframe physical resistance and material trauma not as proof of matter, but as the rigorous collision constraints of the universal user interface. An essential read for anyone tracking the cutting edge of AI consciousness, philosophy of mind, and modern pancomputationalism.
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Christian Mattias Palla (2026) studied this question.
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