Beyond Shannon: A Structural Framework for Information as Constitutive Capacity

Since Shannon's 1948 mathematical theory of communication, consciousness science has operated under an information-as-commodity paradigm, treating information as external resources that flow through neural networks. This framework, while revolutionary for telecommunications, has created a fundamental limitation: we have been studying the encrypted transmission of conscious experience rather than conscious experience itself. This paper introduces a theoretical reconceptualization of information in consciousness science, moving from Shannon's commodity paradigm toward an understanding of information as constitutive capacity. We propose that conscious systems do not merely process information—they generate information through their unique autobiographical configurations. This generative capacity, termed the residue, represents the structural manifestation of conscious experience itself. The Autopsychic Fold and Horizon (AFH*) framework operationalizes this reconceptualization through four integrated variables: topological curvature (κtopo), causal integration (ΦH), perturbational complexity (ΔPCI), and symbolic resonance (∇Φresonant). When these variables converge beyond a critical threshold (the H* Horizon), they generate a stable self-referential structure capable of sustaining conscious experience. We operationalize residue detection through Kullback-Leibler divergence analysis, measuring the differential information generated when conscious systems process autobiographically significant versus neutral content. This approach provides the first direct method for detecting conscious experience as generative capacity rather than processing function. The framework includes Eclipse methodology—a systematic falsification protocol that ensures population robustness and prevents post-hoc rationalization. This methodology has been empirically tested, demonstrating that theoretical frameworks in consciousness science can be genuinely falsified when they fail to meet pre-registered criteria. Three research lines emerge from this framework: (1) consciousness detection through structural emergence, (2) residue validation through semantic divergence, and (3) experiential time through personalized paradigms. Each line generates specific, falsifiable predictions that can advance empirical consciousness research. This theoretical framework offers consciousness science a transition from studying information transmission to studying information generation, providing new methodological foundations for detecting and understanding conscious experience across biological and artificial systems. Sister Publication: This theoretical framework is designed as the companion publication to "Eclipse Methodology for Systematic Falsification in Consciousness Science" (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.16747014), together forming the complete AFH v4.2 research framework. Related Work:** Eclipse Methodology - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16747014Research Program:** AFH Model v4.2Status:** Submitted to Frontiers in Consciousness