Independent consciousness research and methodology tools developed by Paul W. Barnes (Athabasca University) as part of the ongoing development of Unified Axioconscious Field Theory (UAFT).

This GitHub space hosts open-access research materials, diagnostic procedures, and the source code for the axioconsciousness.com website. All materials are offered freely for use by researchers in any field. Citation and attribution are appreciated.

• What is UAFT? A foundational framework treating consciousness as the atemporal ground from which both physical reality and subjective experience arise through differentiation. Read more on the theory page or in the working paper on Zenodo.

• Want the framework in one place? Visit axioconsciousness.com for the full structured introduction, or the mirror site at uaftheory.com.

• Looking for the essays? Shorter writings on consciousness, selfhood, and foundations of physics are published in the essays section, organised by domain.

• Looking for the diagnostic tool? The Conscious Bias Audit and Framework-Bound Paradox Diagnostic is in development for release in this GitHub space, for use by researchers evaluating theoretical frameworks.

UAFT is a foundational framework treating consciousness not as a property that emerges from matter, but as the atemporal ground from which both physical and experiential differentiation arise. The framework integrates work in philosophy of mind, theoretical psychology, foundations of physics, and consciousness studies to address questions that conventional functionalist approaches have left unresolved.

The central methodological principle: do not confuse data for differentiation. Functional accounts describe what systems do. Differentiation, in the structural sense the framework develops, names the registration of a distinction by a system for which the distinction makes a difference. Data can be processed without registration. Differentiation requires it. This distinction does work across the framework's engagement with consciousness, intelligence, selfhood, and physical conservation laws.

Key concepts of UAFT include:

• Axioconsciousness — the atemporal, self-grounding ground of all differentiation
• Differentiation — the temporal mechanism through which axioconscious reach produces structure
• Codifferential — the non-dual relationship between gravity and time as paired expressions of one process
• The Pinch Point — the structural threshold at which emotional saturation produces an integrated self
• Binary Severance Threshold (BST) — structural account of which substrates can host phenomenal consciousness
• Conscious Bias Taxonomy — twelve recurring patterns of inherited assumption that produce framework-bound paradoxes
• Hard Conflation and Concept Hollowing — diagnostic fallacies in contemporary consciousness debates

Glossary of UAFT Terms

• axioconsciousness.github.io — source code for the axioconsciousness.com website
• Conscious Bias Audit Diagnostic (forthcoming) — executable diagnostic procedure for evaluating theoretical frameworks against the twelve recurring bias patterns
• Framework-Bound Paradox Methodology Tools (forthcoming) — companion materials for the methodology paper currently in preparation

All papers are deposited on Zenodo with DOIs and indexed on PhilPapers.

• Unified Axioconscious Field Theory (Working Paper v3) — DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19433409
• The Binary Severance Threshold — structural argument for why binary computational architectures cannot host phenomenal consciousness. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19432883
• Colinear Conservation — Noether's theorem reframed; conservation laws as traces of corrective work; the cosmological constant predicted to evolve. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19945285
• Emotional Differentiation: The Emergence of Consciousness and Self — structural account of how selfhood emerges from emotional differentiation accumulating to the pinch point. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20115674

Author profiles: PhilPapers | ORCID

In development: a structural diagnostic paper naming three fallacies in contemporary AI consciousness research (Hard Conflation, Concept Hollowing, the Stolen Concept), with implications for the broader vocabulary capture across the conceptual landscape of mind. A comprehensive UAFT volume targeted for Mind and Matter in 2026.

This is primarily a research project rather than a software project. The engagement pathways differ from typical GitHub organisations:

• Read the framework at axioconsciousness.com or in the published papers
• Use the diagnostic tools when released; attribution and citation are appreciated
• Cite the work in your own research where it informs your thinking
• Reach out at paul@axioconsciousness.com with questions, critique, or collaboration inquiries
• Suggest improvements to the website or tools by opening issues on the relevant repositories

Paul W. Barnes is an independent consciousness researcher at Athabasca University. He is a member of the American Philosophical Association, the American Psychological Association (Division 24: Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology), and the Society for Mind-Matter Research. UAFT is developed independently, drawing on three decades of professional experience in nuclear and electrical engineering alongside sustained engagement with foundational questions about consciousness, identity, and the structure of reality.

axioconsciousness.com | Working Paper on Zenodo | paul@axioconsciousness.com