Active Inference and the Physics of Agency

Summary

Integrates Karl Friston’s Active Inference (Variational Free-Energy Principle) with the Three Thermodynamic Laws of Agency. Law 1 (Control Work): Kybits correspond to precision-weighted prediction errors that agents minimize through active inference—informational complexity = physical work. Law 2 (Agency Decay): Agents require ongoing energetic/informational exchange to minimize free energy; isolation leads to prediction error accumulation and model degradation. Law 3 (Agency Limits): Perfect free-energy minimization impossible due to inherent uncertainty, noise, and model inaccuracies—residual errors are unavoidable. Synthesis: agency = continuous predictive control constrained by thermodynamic reality. Positions Active Inference as compatible framework for axionic physics of agency.

Tags

• physics
• agency
• thermodynamics
• cybernetics
• active-inference
• models
• entropy

Cross-References

• Related: Free Energy Principle (Friston), predictive processing [external]

Notes

• Bridges neuroscience (Friston) and physics (axionic)
• Explicit formalization via FEP framework
• Cites Friston extensively (2010, 2013, 2017, 2020)
• Technical integration of two frameworks