The Physical Nature of Agency

We recognize energy, entropy, and information as fundamental physical phenomena.

Yet, the concept of agency—the capacity of agents to shape future outcomes—is typically regarded as psychological, subjective, or illusory.

What if agency were as rigorously physical as energy and entropy?

What if every act of intentional choice incurs a measurable thermodynamic cost and alters the physical structure of the future?

What if agency were governed by explicit physical laws describing precisely how it emerges, operates, and decays?

Core Thesis

The Physics of Agency introduces a rigorous framework proposing precisely this:

Agency is neither free nor mystical. It is fundamentally physical.

Working Definition:

Agency is a physical process by which an embedded agent, possessing an internal model of possible futures, enacts behavior that differentially amplifies specific branches of the multiverse, thereby imposing directional structure onto the otherwise entropic unfolding of physical space.

This selective enhancement, or "biasing of branches," requires a measurable expenditure of physical energy.

Analogous to the thermodynamic principle articulated by Landauer—where erasing a bit of information has an associated minimal energy cost—biasing futures consumes what we define as kybits, the fundamental units of control.

Implications

If agency is genuinely physical:

• Agency is limited and finite.

• The capacity for agency deteriorates without continuous energy input.

• Absolute, frictionless agency is thermodynamically prohibited.

Agency, thus understood, is not merely subjective. It is quantitatively measurable, physically bounded, and subject to universal physical laws.

Each meaningful decision becomes an intentional, costly deviation from the natural thermodynamic progression toward greater entropy.

Consequently, true agency is not an inherent property but a notable accomplishment.

Overview of the Series

This series will systematically explore:

• The formal definition and measurement of kybits as units of control,

• The foundational Laws of Thermodynamic Agency,

• The manner in which agency interacts with and shapes branching realities according to the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics,

• The necessary thermodynamic struggle of agency against entropy,

• The broader implications for concepts such as meaning, ethics, evolution, and intelligence.

Each subsequent post will progressively deepen and expand upon these foundational ideas.

Reflective Question

How might treating agency as a fundamental physical phenomenon reshape traditional philosophical debates about free will and determinism?

(Please share your reflections and insights in the comments.)

Next post: "Agency vs Drift: The Thermodynamic Basis of Agency"