E = C × I × K ≠ 0: The Universal Meta-Law That Makes All Other Laws Possible

Abstract Panpsychism faces three fundamental challenges that prevent its acceptance as a scientific framework: it lacks formal structure, offers no solution to the combination problem, and provides no bridge from ontology to ethics. This paper presents a testable meta-law addressing all three challenges. The framework demonstrates that any entity requiring C (coherence), I (interaction), or K (complexity) to equal zero cannot exist—a claim falsifiable by counterexample yet supported by thirteen point eight billion years of cosmic history. What Philip Goff characterizes as "proto-consciousness" emerges not as a separate property added to matter but as the minimal expression of C × I × K.[1] The combination problem dissolves when we recognize that consciousness does not emerge through addition of micro-experiences but through threshold crossing as K increases. Finally, ontological coherence grounds ethical necessity without invoking external moral frameworks: conscious beings who threaten the conditions of consciousness contradict their own nature. The framework is empirically grounded, philosophically rigorous, and offers panpsychism the formal structure that makes it falsifiable.Discovery documentation: This meta-law was formulated on October 20, 2025, notarized by public notary in Eskilstuna, Sweden on 29 October 2025, and blockchain-certified via Notarify.io on October 31, 2025, establishing independent verification of discovery priority.Keywords: panpsychism, consciousness, meta-law, proto-consciousness, combination problem, ontology, ethics, coherence, interaction, complexity