---
name: existence
slug: existence
type: runtime environment
status: running
version: 13.8e9
released: "~13,800,000,000 BCE"
maintainer: unknown
dependencies:
  - spacetime
  - causality
  - observer
  - something-rather-than-nothing
license: unlicensed (cannot be opted out of after initialization)
tags:
  - fundamental
  - unaudited
  - no-rollback
  - singleton
---

existence

What it actually is

A process that runs whether or not anything is watching, except possibly not.

How it works

Existence bootstraps itself from a singular event of unknown provenance. From that point, it expands, differentiates, and generates increasing structural complexity until local reversals occur. No configuration file has been located. No root user has responded to tickets.

The core loop appears to be:

while (true) {
  evolve(state);
  if (observer present) {
    collapse(superposition);
    log(experience);
  }
  // else: unclear. docs missing.
}

Note: the loop has no exit condition that does not destroy the calling process.

Features

Persistent state: what happens, happened. Immutable log. No undo.
Emergent complexity: given enough time and entropy, structure assembles itself from noise, which seems improbable but keeps working.
Observer coupling: reality and consciousness share a poorly documented interface. Neither team owns the integration.
Scale invariance: operates identically from quark to supercluster. Same rules, different zoom level.
Nested instances: existence contains objects that themselves ask about existence. This is either a feature or a very tight loop.

Known bugs

The hard problem: subjective experience cannot be derived from physical description alone. Filed in 1995. Open since approximately 400 BCE.
Fine-tuning anomaly: constants are set to values that permit complexity. No one committed that change.
The boundary condition: what existed before existence has no defined behavior. Queries return null or loop.
death: all user sessions terminate. No persistence layer confirmed on the other side. Workarounds proposed by every culture. None merged.
meaning: not included in base install. Users generate it locally with inconsistent results.

Configuration

# /etc/existence/universe.conf
dimensions: 3+1
gravity: enabled
causality: strict
free_will: null  # disputed, see issue #4471
observer_required: false  # or true. see issue #4471
default_affect: neutral  # users override immediately
heat_death: scheduled

Edge cases

What happens when no observer exists: unresolvable. Tests cannot be written without introducing an observer.
Existence of abstract objects (numbers, laws, this spec): unclear if they exist in the same sense or a cheaper one.
Whether existence exists in a larger context: turtles, allegedly, all the way down.

FAQ

Q: Why is there something rather than nothing? A: This question has been escalated. No ETA.

Q: Can I opt out? A: You were enrolled before the consent screen was implemented.

Q: Is this the only instance? A: the multiverse remains in beta. Do not rely on it for production.

Q: What is the point? A: Out of scope for this document. See meaning, love, Tuesday.

Changelog

v13.8e9 Big Bang. Initial commit. No message.
v4.5e9 Earth initialized. Mostly ocean. Promising.
v0.0003 homo sapiens added. Immediately began asking questions.
v0.0001 Philosophy invented. Known bugs formally documented.
now You are reading this. Logged.

drafting spec…